The Forgotten and the Clumsy but Caring Wizard (DarkBloodyLlium's)
by DarkBloodyLilium
Summary: Kaimana had long ago resigned herself to her fate. She would never see sunlight, or clear blue water, she would never breathe fresh air, or taste salt water ever again. That is, until she meets a kind-hearted wizard with a penchant for saving magical creatures. Sweet, compassionate, and loyal, Newt Scamander is everything she never knew humans could be.
1. Chapter 1

**Note: This is a story that my friend GrayRoze and I started and will be working on it until we deem it finished. We hope to post a chapter once a week, but that may change. We do not own anything except for our own characters. The rightful owner is the lovely JK Rowling. Hope you enjoy. Feel free to leave comments, questions, and constructive** **criticism. :)**

Kaimana POV

It's been thirty years since I've been trapped in this forsaken tank, locked away in the deepest cave on this this wretched island. I can no longer remember the feeling of the sun on my face, or the soft gentle waves against my scales. Why did they lock me away? Was I so terrible that they couldn't even stand the sight of me? I never asked to be born this way. How could they do this to me! Those selfish disgusting humans! All of them can drown for all I care! When I get free they will wish that they had never discovered my people.

It's been thirty years, and I have long since given up hope of being free again. At least until I hear someone slipping and stumbling around in the dark. "How could they put such a delicate creature back here!" Hmm, sounds like it's a male going by his voice. A light slowly creeps closer to the blasted tank and the man comes into view looking very shocked. "Well hello there, now let's see what we can do about getting you out of that tank." The strange man says, waving what I assume is a wand. "I'm Newt Scamander, but please call me Newt." the huma-no, Newt says, looking quite nervous, but excited at the same time. I'm guessing he's never seen a siren before. I look at him confused, and a bit amused. Is this man really going to be my freedom from this hellish tank I've been forced to rot in? Well, I hope he knows what he's getting himself roped into.

Newt studies the tank for a few moments before he begins muttering spells under his breath. I watch him nervously, I haven't had good experiences with wizards up until now. Suddenly, the latch on the tank springs open and Newt gently lifts the lid of my tank. "There now, that's better," He says, in a gentle voice. He hesitantly stretches his hand towards me, and I flinch away from him, collecting myself as far into the corner as possible. The wizard quickly withdraws his arm. "I'm sorry friend. I don't intend to hurt you. Do you have a name?" He asks in the same soothing tone. All of my instincts and previous experience tell me to fight, to attack him, but his easy demeanor and seemingly genuine concern make me think twice. I study the strange wizard who claims he has come to rescue me—me, a magical creature that all other wizards hate and fear. His light brown hair is curly and hangs in his face, covering one of his warm blue eyes, and his smile is soft and reassuring. His long blue coat is dusty and travel worn, and tucked under his collar is… a bowtruckle? That's odd. The small green creature peers at me from beneath the fabric with its round black eyes. Newt notices my interest in the creature and gently pulls him out.

"This is Pickett. Say hello, Pickett." He tells it, and Pickett waves at me. I just stare, astonished at this human who is holding a magical creature with careful hands and a fond expression on his face. Slowly I smile and raise my hand to wave to Pickett, and Newt can see that my fingers are not webbed like most water creatures he has come across. "Would you like to leave this tank?" Newt asks softly, and my head snaps to him in shock. Leave? He's really going to help me leave this tank? But why? What does he gain from this? I slowly open my mouth, but then close it and touch my neck. Newt tilts his head then looks as though something dawned on him. "You cannot speak, can you?" he asks, and I shake my head no.

"Could you speak before you were trapped here?" he asks, frowning a bit. I slowly put my hands to my throat, showing him that I was choked before being locked away. He gasps, then looks a bit angry. "They choked you?! How dare they hurt a creature such as you!" Newt snaps and starts muttering to himself. I flinch away afraid of what he might do. He seems to notice, then quickly waves his hands. "No, no, no, I'm not going to hurt you! I am just very upset with those who decided to hurt you," He explains, and I slowly move closer to him, making sure not to bend my tail in an uncomfortable way. He grins, and Pickett slowly creeps closer to me using Newts arm. I hesitantly smile back at Newt and Pickett. I don't know why he wants to help me, but I decide to trust him. "I'm going to use a spell to get you out of there okay? I have a magical case that I use to transport all of my creature friends; you'll be perfectly safe there. Is that alright?" Newt asks, watching me with concern. A magical case to keep magical creatures? He transports them? Where? My suspicion must show on my face, because Newt holds up a small, battered briefcase for me to see.

"All of my friends stay in here until I can take them to where they belong. Don't worry, it's a lot bigger on the inside." He says with a flippant smile. I nod hesitantly, and point to the suitcase. He nods back at me, and waves his wand saying, "Winguardium Leviosa". I feel myself slowly start to lift up and out of the water. Newt flicks his case open and goes inside with me floating beside him. I stare in wonder at the inside of the case and all the creatures that he has here. Caught up in my amazement, I don't notice Newt placing me in his arms until I feel his breath on my hair. I quickly snap my head around to look at him, and he seems a bit embarrassed. "I am sorry if this makes you feel uncomfortable, but it is easier to carry you then have you floating above me." He says, and I slowly nod.

He carries me over to a small forest type area that has a large pond in the center surrounded by reddish vines and blue flowers. He gently places me into the water and I instantly start swimming around, excited to finally be able to stretch out my tail. Newt chuckles, and sits down cross legged on the grass, watching me enjoy freedom after being entrapped within that small tank for so long.

The fresh water feels amazing on my scales, cool and soothing and sweet; so unlike the old, dirty water from the tank. I dive under water and quickly bolt back to the surface, splashing my newfound friend with a wave of water. Newt laughs and beams at me, even though he is soaking wet. I smile at him and try to convey all the things I can't say.

"You're welcome." He says. I notice Pickett still attached to his collar and I reach out my hand to the small creature. Newt notices and lets the bowtruckle walk over to investigate me. I admire Pickett and hold out my index finger to pet him. He smiles and grips onto my finger. "He must really like you. I've never seen him act like this with anyone other than myself." Newt says smiling proudly at Pickett. I smirk at him then go back to petting Pickett. My tail lazily slaps the water, and Newt watches it with interest. I catch his staring, then look down at my tail. Hesitantly, I move so my tail is closer to him, and he looks startled. I gesture towards my tail, and he blinks. "You're letting me inspect your tail?" He asks, and I nod confirming it's okay. "Thank you! I will be very gentle, and if at any time, you wish for me to stop just move your tail away, and I promise to stop." He says, grinning adorably. I nod my assent and he carefully studies my tail, running his fingers lightly over the dull and damaged scales.

Newt hums thoughtfully as he inspects, muttering to himself and biting his lip in confusion every now and then. I remain perfectly still, trying to stop myself from twitching away from the wizard. He won't hurt you, I tell myself. I can trust him. Eventually Newt releases my tail and gives me a weary smile. "It seems that your scales have sustained some serious damage, I'd like to help you, if you'll let me." I can only stare in awe at this amazing human who uses his time and magic to help creatures like me. I nod once more, letting him know I accept his help. "Yes? Brilliant!" He clasps his hands together and stands up quickly. "I'll be right back! I'm going to go make a potion that should help to mend your scales!"

I watch the strange man run off, then look back down to the creature on my hand. Pickett pats my hand and smiles. I smile softly to him, and look at my scales. I wonder if he can really heal them. I truly hope so, they can be so painful at times. Maybe he can make it so I can speak again too. I truly wish to thank him for all he has done with my own voice.

I wait for a few minutes, playing with Pickett to pass the time before Newt comes running back with a small jar—presumably containing the healing potion— in his hands. "Alright! I'm back!" He announces. I smile and bring my tail over for him to look at. He sits down next to the edge of the pond and sets down the little jar which I can now see contains a murky, bluish green potion. "How's Pickett?" Newt asks, glancing at the bright green creature sitting on my hand. Pickett makes little chattering noises and climbs back over to Newt, returning to his usual spot under his collar. Newt fondly pats his creature before turning his attention back to my tail.

"Hmmm. I think this will be easier if you are out of the water. Could you do that?" He asks thoughtfully. "You don't have to if you don't want I can manage." He adds. I shake my head and slide up and out of the water so I'm sitting on the soft grass beside the pond. "Thank you." Newt says politely, and begins pouring the potion over my damaged scales. I can feel the effects immediately as a cold, slightly stinging feeling creeps over my tail. I breathe slowly, tangling my fingers in the grass beneath me while Newt starts quietly mumbling healing spells. I sit very still, trying not to move or flinch away from him. Eventually, after what seems like hours, my damaged tail looks just like it did before I ever met those nasty humans. I start clapping and beam at Newt. He smiles, and looks a bit embarrassed but proud. "You are quite welcome, but I would take it easy still since your tail will be sore from having been healed so quickly." He says, and I nod. I point back to the water and he laughs. "Yes, you can go back in now." He tells me, but I'm already in the water before he can finish his sentence.

I spend the next few minutes swimming, before I slow down because of the aching feeling that starts to develop in my tail. I swim back to where Newt is sitting watching me, and I motion for him to come closer. Once he gets close enough, I use my arms to push myself out of the water just enough so that our faces are close together. He looks confused, and a light pink blush spreads over his face when I kiss his cheek to thank him. Our faces are only a few inches apart and Newt watches me intently with his kind blue eyes. "You're welcome," He whispers. I bite my lip and pull away, sliding back into the water. I sink to the bottom of the pond, feeling a bubble of happiness rise in my throat. I'm free. I'm free and I'm going home and it's all thanks to that strange, sweet, compassionate wizard. From beneath the crystal-clear water I can see Newt as he stands and walks away from the pond to tend to his other creatures. A wild joy burns through me and all I want is to laugh, to shout to the world, _I'm free!_ Instead I stretch out my aching tail, settle at the bottom of the pond and drift off into a contented sleep, and for the first time in ages I don't have any nightmares.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: We are posting chapter two early because we decided we are going to publish a new chapter hopefully every** **Saturday** **. These characters do not belong to us, except for our OC Kaimana, all the others belong to the lovely J.K. Rowling. Feel free to send us questions, comments, and constructive criticism. Enjoy!**

Kaimana POV

I wake up from the best sleep I've had in years to see Newt standing by the pond waving at me. I quickly swim to the surface and pop my head out. "Morning! How's your tail feeling?" He asks, and I make a so-so motion. He nods then sits down close to the edge so he can put his feet in the water. He pulls an old looking sack next to me, and I look at him confused. He makes a motion with his hand, and I hesitantly look inside. What I see makes me extremely happy. The whole bag is full of crabs, clams, and fish! I start eating quickly, but manage to slow myself down just a bit after Newt tells me not to upset my stomach. "I'm glad you liked them. I wasn't sure if you would want these or not." Newt says, smiling a little. I beam at him with half a crab leg sticking out of my mouth, and he softly chuckles. The two of us sit in companionable silence for a while as Newt waits for me to finish eating.

"So," Newt begins after I'm done. "I know you want to go home, but I don't know exactly where your home is," He looks a bit sheepish at not knowing, and I smile reassuringly at him. He grins softly back and reaches inside his coat to pull out a map. "I was hoping you could show me." He spreads the paper out for me to see. It's an old map, the material is yellowed and curling a bit at the edges, almost as if it had sustained water damage. I reach as far back into my memories as I can, trying to recall exactly where I had lived before I was captured. The painted blue oceans on the map seem to stretch endlessly, taking up most of the page. It was warm I think… Yes, the water was warm and bright blue, and there were lots of brightly colored fish and… I don't remember. All I can see is the filthy greenish-black water of the tank and humans with cruel smiles. I jerk my hand away from the page, tears running down my face and hundreds of memories, none of them happy, whirl around in my mind.

Newt quickly moves in front of me, and gently takes my hands. As if knowing what's wrong he starts soothing me, saying things like, "Shh, you're free, don't worry," and "I will never let you be hurt like that again, I promise.". I gradually start to calm down, and I lean my head onto his chest, completely soaking his shirt but he doesn't seem to care. I feel him softly petting my hair. "It's okay, I can take you anywhere you want to go," He says, and softly whispers something else but I can't quite catch it. I nod against his chest and take a deep, calming breath, noticing idly that he smells like a mixture of earth, sea salt, and for some reason, wood smoke. It's an oddly comforting smell.

I eventually pull away from the wizard, and feel a warm blush creeping across my cheeks. I quickly turn towards the map, and this time the swathes of blue don't overwhelm me. Anywhere I want. I don't have to remember where I lived before, I can live somewhere new, I can explore. I glance at Newt who smiles encouragingly. Anywhere I want. I take another steadying breath. Anywhere. I steel myself with grim determination and point to a spot on the map.

Newt looks at where I'm pointing and grins. "Hawaii? Good choice." He says, and I smile back shyly. I look back and study the map closely when something suddenly catches my eye. I point to it excited, and he looks at it closely. "Kaimana? What's that?" He asks confused, and I point to myself. He takes a few minutes to understand then grins. "Is that your name?" He asks excitedly, and I nod, smiling like a fool. "That's a beautiful name," He says, and I blush a bit, looking at the water. "It's a pleasure to meet you Kaimana." He says, holding out his hand towards me. I gently take it, and smile at him. He beams back at me, his blue eyes bright with excitement.

"This will be fun, I've never been to Hawaii before!" He tells me, "I'll have to get my passport, hmmm. That's perfect actually, I have a few other creatures I've been meaning to release, and Hawaii is the perfect tropical environment for them…" He trails off, lost in thought for a few moments before pulling himself back into the present. "Kaimana," Newt says experimentally, letting the syllables roll off his tongue. He fixes his gaze on me. "Don't worry. I'm going to get you home." His tone is serious, and I know that Newt will keep his word, no matter what. I grin, and pull him into a hug accidentally tugging him halfway into the water. "AH!" Newt shouts, and I look at him apologetically, but ultimately failing to hide my grin. He tries to scowl me but he's smiling as well.

Newt POV

I can't help but smile at this beautiful creature. How could anyone ever want to hurt Kaimana? She is so shy, and sweet. I will make sure she finds a new home in Hawaii, even if the thought of her leaving already fills me with dread. I stand in the pond, drenched in water once again, and I can't help but laugh delightedly with her. She giggles silently and dives under water, splashing me with her powerful tail as she goes. I will protect her. I will see her delivered safely home, whatever the cost. "Hey! That's not fair!" I sputter at her, surely grinning like a fool.

I shed my heavy coat, leaving it on the edge of the pond and duck under the water to swim with her. Peaceful silence surrounds me as the water covers my head, and I open my eyes to watch as Kaimana swims gracefully through the water. Her long black hair streams out behind her, her long gray-blue tail sweeps dramatically, causing ripples through the pond. Beautiful.

She looks back at me and swims up to me. I watch her with amusement and she bops my nose, then swims away teasingly. She is so different now, so much more relaxed, even though it's only been a day since I found her. I swim after her, trying to catch up to her but she's too fast for me. Soon I swim back to the surface for some much-needed air, and her head pops up next to mine. "Well that was fun." I say, and she nods. Hmm, I really must work on getting her voice back. I wonder what her voice sounds like. I drift off for a bit thinking about her voice, until I'm met with a face full of water. "Hey!" I yell, but without any real anger, and she can tell because she's silently laughing to herself. "You're a trouble maker aren't you." I accuse, teasingly. She shrugs and looks suspiciously innocent. I marvel at her, this poor being that has suffered so much, and yet is still able to joke and be happy.

Sighing, I push my wet hair away from my face, thinking about everything I must do. I mentally run through my checklist: feed the moon calves, check on Doogal, find the niffler and confiscate everything he stole for today, take Pickett back… Pickett. I whirl around and swim back to the edge of the pond where my coat lies, carelessly discarded. I hear Kaimana splashing worriedly behind me as I crawl out of the water and frantically search for my friend. "Pickett!" I fumble through all the coat pockets until I find the small, bright green bowtruckle, drenched and glaring unhappily at me. "Pickett! I am so sorry!" I apologize frantically. Pickett blows a raspberry at me and looks away. I hear Kaimana swim up next to me, and she reaches out her hand, gently touching Pickett. He looks at her, and she looks so worried and sad. Pickett glances at me then her, and pats her hand. "Am I forgiven?" I ask him softly, and he just glares. I guess I'm not. He must really be fond of Kaimana if he forgave her so quickly.

Kaimana gently picks him up, and he clings to her hand. She rubs her cheek softly against him, and I can see him smiling. She stares at me, and then at Pickett. It looks almost as though they are having a silent conversation. Hmm that is quite interesting. Suddenly Pickett looks back at me and I hold my hand out to him. He climbs on, crawling up to my shoulder patting my cheek. I smile and softly ask, "Am I forgiven now?" to which he responds with a firm nod. I look back at Kaimana, bewildered. "You truly are something special." I tell her, and her normally pale cheeks turn a delightful shade of pink.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! Soooo, I know we said we were going to post on Saturdays, but seeing as** **this Saturday** **is Christmas Eve we decided to post early. All characters except for our OC Kaimana belong to the fabulous J.K. Rowling. If you have any questions, comments, or constructive criticism please don't be shy! We are always happy to get feedback. Enjoy! ;)**

Chapter Three

Kaimana POV

"So… I've been thinking about your voice," Newt says, sitting cross-legged beside the pond I float in lazy circles. "I think I might be able help you get it back." He tells me, and I turn to look at him, tentative hope filling my chest. "I don't want to get your hopes up just yet," He adds quickly, "But I've been working on a solution that might help, at least a little bit."

I might be able to get my voice back! Even if it doesn't work, it is still kind of him to try. I look at him with a serious face, and point to my throat. "You want to try it anyways? Well okay, if that's what you want." He says. "It should be finished in about three days, think you can hold out that long?" He asks, and I give him a determined look. "Right, I'll let you know as soon as it's ready," Newt says, and I give him a thumbs up. I quickly dive back under the water, and swim around trying not to get too excited, but it is difficult.

A voice, oh how I'd love to be able to speak and sing again. What is a siren without her voice after all? For the past thirty years it hasn't really mattered, I didn't have anyone to talk to even if I wanted to, but now things have changed. A lot. And I wouldn't mind being able to have an actual conversation with the first friend I've made in decades. I move leisurely around the pond, thinking of everything I would say to Newt if I could. I would tell him how grateful I am for what he's done for me. I would tell him about my home, what little I can remember of it anyway. I would tell him my favorite color is yellow like tropical fish, and that my favorite food is crab legs. I'd ask him what he does when he isn't rescuing magical creatures, and what his home is like. And I would sing to him. I think he would like that.

I wonder if I should sing the lullaby mother used to sing to me. Hmm, or maybe something deeper? I'll have to ask him which he would prefer. I look around, then swim up to the ponds edge and look around. It is so beautiful here. I wonder if Newt will show me some other creatures. I wonder if they are as adorable as Pickett, although that might be hard since he is so cute! I let my thoughts wander, imagining all the strange and interesting creatures Newt might have hidden away in this mysterious brief case.

Newt POV

Basilisk venom? Or powdered unicorn horn? No, definitely dragon blood first. I scan through my stack of old potions books, searching for one that might be useful. There are dozens of healing potions that would do the trick for a wizard, or even a muggle, but sirens are different creatures entirely, and there's no telling how the potions would react with her physiology. I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. An entire library on magical creatures, and not a single one with any information on sirens. Perhaps… I shuffle several buckets of moon calf pellets to get to a large, dusty black chest. "Alohomora!" I whisper, and the chest lid flips open, revealing an incredibly old, leather bound tome. "Aha!" I lift the book out and walk back over to the table. This book should help me at least get some information on sirens.

I place the book down, and quickly scan through the pages. Hmm, it seems that sirens are more complex creatures than what I first thought. This might be harder to do than I was anticipating, but if it means giving her voice back I'm not going to give up. I should warn her though that it might be a bit longer than expected. I frown, and look towards where I can see her looking around the pond. What is she doing? Is she trying to see the other creatures from there? Kaimana has her elbows rested on the edge of the pond and is swiveling her head around, lifting herself out of the water a bit when she catches sight of the graphorns wandering over the grassy plains. A warm feeling spreads in my chest. She's interested in my creatures. I haven't met many people who liked my magical creatures, most wizards hate them, and if they do take an interest it's usually because they want to sell them. Maybe I should give her a tour. I bet she would love to meet the occamys. I wonder how I could transport her around. I get caught up in my musings, flipping idly through the old tome, as though it might hold all the answers.

Suddenly I see something that makes me freeze. How did I not know this!? Kaimana must not know, or else she would have by now. I must tell her at once! Oh, I am so excited to see her reaction! I quickly grab the book and take off running to the pond. "Kai! Kaimana!" I shout excitedly. The siren swims over to me, looking confused and slightly alarmed. "Look what I found!" I set the book down on the grass for her to see. She looks it over, surprise and hopeful delight spreading over her face as she reads. "Did you know about this?" I ask her, and she shakes her head, beaming as she does so. "Do you want to try it?" She nods vigorously and pulls herself up and out of the water. I rush over to help her, gently wrapping my arms around her waist and moving her onto the grass.

As I'm helping her I notice I can feel more skin then I should be. I stop, and she looks at me confused. "Kaimana? Are you topless?" I ask her, and she nods looking at me like, _haven't you noticed?_ I quickly look down, and oh my! I CAN SEE HER BREASTS and they're so bi-NO! I quickly turn beet red, and look away. "I am so sorry! I didn't even notice till now!" I sputter, and I can feel her shaking with silent laughter. This is so humiliating. How did I never notice she wasn't wearing anything!? Kaimana pats my hand reassuringly, grinning amusedly at my reaction. As soon as she is safely out of the water I release her and step away, trying desperately not to stare at her.

Kaimana tugs at the bottom of my coat, gesturing for me to sit down beside her. I reluctantly sink down to the grass, keeping my eyes fixed on my hands. A few moments later she taps my hand and I glance up to see that she covered her chest with her long hair. She raises an eyebrow as if to ask, _Is this better?_ I smile sheepishly in response, and she grins, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "Trouble maker." I mutter.

The two of us sit for a few minutes, waiting and relaxing on the soft ground, before Kai bolts upright, string at her tail in astonishment. We watch as her lovely blue scales shimmer and begin to melt away, leaving only smooth skin behind. Her fins fade away and her tail separates into two long legs. This is amazing! She looks at her legs in shock, and gently touches them then flinches. "Do they hurt?" I ask her worried, but she shakes her head. "Feel strange?" She nods, and I get a bit closer and then notice now she is fully naked. AGAIN!? I quickly take off my jacket and place it around her making sure she is fully covered. She looks at me amusedly. I glare back at her, blushing furiously. "You have no shame." I state, and she grins.

I instruct Kaimana to sit still and wait while I find her some proper clothes. She rolls her eyes in exasperation, but nods, and I take off back to my work shop. I manage to find one of my old shirts and a long red skirt, which to be honest, I don't really know where it came from, but it should fit Kai, so. I quickly rush back to her, and give her the clothes not looking directly at her. "These should fit you. Please put them on." I beg her, and she takes the clothes from me. I quickly turn around, and listen to her rustling with the clothing. I feel a tap on my hand and when I turn to look at her my breath catches in my throat. She is one of the most gorgeous creatu-no women, I have ever seen.

"You look very nice." I tell her, and Kai beams at me. The skirt fits her perfectly, hanging down just past her knees, and the shirt I gave her is a soft blue that brings out the lighter colors in her usually stormy gray eyes. I hold out my hand to her. "Would you like a tour?" I ask. Kaimana nods and takes my hand. We start off slow at first to get her used to walking, but she seems to be a quick learner and takes to walking quicker than I thought.

Kaimanna POV

This is so amazing! I'm walking around! I have legs! I am so happy Newt found out I could do this, but I wonder why I didn't know this about my own species. Once I get the hang of it, I squeeze his hand and point to the creatures I see. "You know, if you want to you can feed the mooncalves." He says, pointing to where they are. I look at him excited and nod quickly. He grins, and hands me their food. "Just be calm, and everything should be okay." I nod once more and take the food to them. They all look at me, and I smile nervously. I gently toss them their food, watching as it floats for them to eat. Once they start eating I look at Newt proudly, and he's smiling softly with this strange look in his eyes. I tilt my head, silently asking a question, but he just shakes his head and takes my hand again. "Come on, I want to show you my occamys."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes: Hey guys, Happy New Year's Eve! As always these characters belong to J.K Rowling, except for our OC Kaimana. If you have any questions/comments/concerns/constructive criticism let us know! Enjoy :)**

Newt POV

"Incendio!" A flicker of flames burst from the end of my wand and soon a little fire is burning merrily beneath the cauldron. After giving Kai an extensive tour and introducing her to all of the animals I spent several hours studying up on the many different potions that could potentially heal her voice. Finally, I believe I may have found one. It's a complicated potion that will require several ingredients that an average potions master wouldn't possess, but luckily transporting magical creatures left me with some of the more… unconventional ingredients. I wonder if Kai would want to help me make this? I could have her write down something if she wishes to talk to me. I decide I'll go ask her and see what she says.

I find her playing with niffler, and I frown a bit. Those two became fast friends, and they love spending time trying to steal things from me as part of a game they developed. I am glad she gets along with my creatures so well, but I'm not sure how I feel about these two being so close, it could mean a lot of trouble for me in the future. Those troublesome trouble makers. I walk closer to them, and Kai looks at me and moves to hide something behind her back. "Kai what did you take now?" I ask, and she shrugs. I sigh, then lunge playfully at her. She jumps away, and takes off running. I laugh and run after her. Even though she only learned to walk a few days ago, she's still way too fast for me to keep up with, and I quickly give up trying to catch her. Instead I collapse on the ground next to the pond, waiting for Kai to come back.

Eventually she wanders back over to me, grinning mischievously, and suspiciously empty handed. I narrow my eyes at her. "What did you take? What did you do with it?" I ask her. She just smiles back at me. Sighing resignedly, I pat the grass next to me. "Come here, I have something I want to show you." She plops down next to me, and tilts her head. I accio some parchment and a quill. "Do you know how to write?" I ask. She nods, confused and I hand them to her.

"I would like to know if you wanted to help me with the potion to heal your voice. So, I figured you'd like these to communicate with me. I am sorry I didn't think about it until now." I say, looking at her sheepishly. She beams at me and starts writing furiously. She holds up the paper and written on it in large, bold handwriting is my name, **NEWT!**

"I take it you like this idea then?" I laugh. She scribbles on the page again and shows it to me. **Yes!** I beam at her. "So would you like to help me with the potion?" I ask her. **Sure, but I don't know how much help I will be. I don't know much about making potions.** She tells me. "That is quite alright," I say, "Luckily, I do know a thing or two about it, and all you have to do is follow my directions."

I lead Kai back to my workshop where the potion is already starting to bubble. I hurriedly turn the temperature down to a simmer, and look back at her. "Can you get me the dragon scales please?" I ask, pointing to the jar next to her. She grabs it, and hands it to me. "Would you like to grind these for me?" **Sure! Tell me how to please**. She says, and I instruct her on how to use the pestle and mortar.

Kai gets to work quickly, and I can tell she's enjoying it by the way she grins and bites her lip in concentration. It's kind of nice having someone here working with me. I check the color of the potion, and once it turns a light green hue I tell her to add the scales. She looks a bit scared, but I gently take her hand. "It's okay, just take a pinch and sprinkle it in." She does, and the potion turns a darker green tint. "Perfect! Now stir counter-clockwise 10 times and we can let it simmer for about half an hour." We stir together, and Kai looks like a little child that had walked into Honeyduke's for the first time.

 **This is so cool!** Kai writes to me, excitedly watching the potion shift colors. "Isn't it! Potions have always fascinated me. And they are incredibly useful when it comes to caring for my creatures." I tell her. Kaimana frowns slightly and quickly writes me a note. **Is that how you see me? Am I just another one of your magical creatures to be taken care of and eventually dropped off without a second thought?**

I stare at her in confusion. "Of course not. I always think about my creatures, even after I've dropped them off at their homes. All of them are important to me." I explain, but Kai doesn't look any happier, if anything she looks angry. She scribbles something down and shoves the paper in my face. **I am not just some creature! How dare you!** Before I can say anything, she runs back to her pond and dives in. I don't understand? What did I do wrong? Isn't it good that I care for my creatures? And what did she mean she's not just a creature?

Kaimana POV

I swim around my pond, thrashing my tail angrily. How could he! I am not just one of his animals that he can take care of and nurse back to health! He doesn't see me as a person. I'm just another magical creature to him. All those years spent as someone's lab experiment, and now nothing has really changed. Now I'm just a pet. Rage simmers in my blood and I slam my tail against a rock in a fit of rage, ignoring the spike of pain that it causes. How dare he! I spend several hours swimming in angry circles, half hoping Newt would show up so I could yell at him again, and half hoping he would stay away from me forever. I thought he was different. I thought he was my friend.

After a while, my rage burns out and I'm left to deal with the hurt that takes its place. I curl myself up into a ball as tightly as my tail will allow, and I sink to the floor of the pond. I never should have trusted a human. I should have known better, but Newt was so kind, so understanding, it was difficult to imagine that he could ever hurt me. I should have known better.

I stay underwater for the rest of the day, noticing that Newt still comes by to drop off dinner for me. He waits by the water for a few minutes, as if expecting me to talk to him, but eventually he seems to realize I don't want to talk and he leaves. I ignore the food, even though my stomach aches with hunger. A couple hours pass, and Newt comes to visit a few times but I still ignore him until he finally gives up and goes to bed. As soon as he is gone, I lung to the pond edge and start devouring the food he left me. Once the food is gone, I look around and slowly crawl out of the water, waiting for my legs to appear. Ugh, I can't believe that man! Well that's fine, I don't need him anyways. I'll just play with the animals when he's asleep, and sleep when he's awake.

I take off towards niffler, and see that he's trying to fix his nest but keeps knocking over his stacks of coins. I smile a little, and help him organize his coins to keep them from falling. He looks at me and wrinkles his nose in thanks. I pat him on the head before walking over to visit the occamys. The little creatures are all curled up together in a pile of shimmering purple scales and feathers. I smile fondly, but move on, it's best not to disturb them when they're sleeping. The mooncalves flounce over to me when I approach them, their mouths open wide, waiting for me to feed them. Sorry guys, not tonight. I reach out and stroke their fuzzy heads, giggling silently when they make happy noises at me.

I wander over the hill, searching for the little hole in the ground where… ah! There it is. I reach into the hole and pull out the notebook niffler and I snatched from Newt earlier. I sit down on the grass and the mooncalves crowd around me, waiting patiently to be petted. I shake my head fondly at them. Ah friends, what am I supposed to do? I ask them, but of course they don't hear me, and even if they could they wouldn't understand me.

I can't hide from Newt forever, eventually I'll have to see him again, and I don't think I can handle it. All I can hope is that we get to Hawaii quickly so I don't have to be around him for long. I glance down at the small worn notebook, and start flipping through the pages. Newt's narrow handwriting is splayed across the paper, detailing how to take care of his hundreds of different species of magical creatures. I snap the book shut and close my eyes against the tears that start rolling down my face. Suddenly, I feel soft fur against my skin and I open my eyes to see that all of the mooncalves are sitting down around me making soft, reassuring sounds. Smart creatures. Maybe they heard me after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes: Hello friends! New chapter! Characters aren't ours, except Kai. Leave us a reveiw if you feel so inclined, and enjoy the story!**

 **Chapter Five**

Newt POV

I don't know what I did wrong. I've thought over our conversation a million times, but I can't see what went wrong. Why is she so upset? I told her I would be disappointed when she left, and that she was important to me. I don't understand why being called a creature upset her so much. Being a wizard, some could even say I was a creature as well, so why did that make her so angry? I wish she would talk to me about it; I wish she would stop ignoring me like she has been. I can't even give her the potion because she keeps avoiding me.

I feel a pat on my cheek, and I look at Pickett. "Oh Pickett, I just don't understand her." I sigh, and he frowns. I gently pet him, looking off towards Kai's pond. She's always asleep when I feed her, but I know she's eating it. That's good, even though she's mad at me I don't want her to starve herself. I'm not even able to ask her if she knows what happened to my notebook with all my creature notes. "What should I do Pickett? How do I convince her to listen to me? She won't even come out of the water when I'm around." I say. Pickett just looks at me sadly as if to say, _I don't know how to help you friend._ "I don't know. Maybe I should just wait and let her talk to me in her own time. She obviously doesn't want to see me right now." I sigh. I may as well go about my normal routine and hopefully Kai will talk to me soon.

I go about feeding my creatures, however when I get to niffler he just turns his back on me. What? Now he's mad at me too!? Ugh, are all of my creatures going to hate me until Kai isn't mad anymore? "I would fix it if I knew why she's upset. You know that I care for all of you." I tell him, frustrated. He continues to ignore for a few seconds, but eventually he deigns to look at me again. "I didn't mean to hurt her." I whisper. Niffler snuffles a bit and presses his nose into my hand. I huff a laugh and stroke his spikey head. If only Kai were so forgiving.

I leave niffler to restock his collection of shiny things and head off to feed the graphorns, walking past the pond as I do so. I habitually glance into the water, but Kai's usual dark shape is missing. A jolt of panic runs through me. What if she left? What if she hated me so much she decided to risk going to Hawaii on her own? No, stop that. She's probably just visiting the other creatures, I tell myself, though a sense of unease lingers. I force myself to stop worrying about it and continue on with my work. I make my way over to the graphorns, when I witness something truly amazing. Kai is running around and playing with the graphorns.

I sigh in relief, and watch from afar. I am glad she didn't leave, but why haven't I seen her playing with them before? She's darting between them, teasing one of the babies by letting it get almost close enough to touch her before running away again. I shake my head and smile fondly. She loves these creatures just like I do, I think sadly. I hesitate for a few minutes. Do I approach them and try to talk to Kai? Or do I wait until later when she's gone? In the end, I decide to risk approaching her. If she makes me leave, then so be it.

I cautiously walk towards them, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. The moment Kai notices me she freezes, and the baby graphorn runs into her, knocking her to the ground. I immediately drop the buckets of food I'm carrying and rush over to her side, but I don't try to touch her, I don't want to scare her or make her angry again. "Kai? Are you okay?" I ask tentatively. She sits up and glares at me. I take that as a yes, and quickly back away. "Sorry." I mumble, trying not to let the hurt I feel show on my face. Kai stands up and brushes herself off, and I notice that she's wearing the clothes I gave her. "Kai…" I start to say, but she turns her dark and stormy gray eyes on me, and I trail off. She ignores me and starts to walk away, presumably back to her pond.

"Wait, Kai!" I blurt out, and she turns back to me with a dangerous look on her face. Suddenly my courage fails me and I flounder for words. "I- the voice potion. It- it's done, if you- want it." I stutter, silently cursing myself. She stares at me for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face before she nods once and leaves.

Merlin's beard that was scary. What did I do to make her that mad with me? I sigh and continue going through the motions of feeding my creatures, wracking my brain to figure out what I did to offend her. I really can't seem to figure it out. Was it truly just me calling her a creature that bothered her? And if so why did it upset her so much? I'll have to ask her once she takes the potion.

I head back to retrieve the potion, and I can see Kaimanna glaring at me from her pond. I send her a quick, sad look, and rush to my work shop, eager to be free of the pressure of her gaze. Maybe she will like me again after she has her voice back… or maybe she will just yell at me. I measure out the appropriate amount of potion into a small glass and head back to the pond, trying to convince myself that everything will work out in the end. I crouch down beside the water, careful not to spill the potion and wait for Kai. The siren swims reluctantly over to me and takes the glass from me, making sure she doesn't touch my hand as she does so. I try not to sigh.

"Right, so, um. This is only part of it, you'll have to take the rest a little at a time. One cup a day for week. Hopefully your voice will slowly start to come back after a few days, but try not to talk too much and strain yourself." I explain. Kaimana nods and downs the concoction, making a face and gagging at the taste. "Ah, yes. Sorry, forgot to warn you about that." I say sheepishly, smiling hesitantly at her. Kai ignores me, sets the empty glass beside my feet and dives back underwater. The smile fades from my face and I slump my shoulders. She'll never forgive me. Nice job, Newt. You only knew her for one week and you managed to chase her away. I've never been good with people, and since I usually prefer animals to people that's never really bothered me. At least, not until now.

Wait? Is that why she's been so upset? Because I've been treating her like another one of my creatures, but letting her think I don't see her as a person? I think back to everything I said to Kai when she got mad at me. Yes, I could see how she might have thought that from everything I told her. I _must_ fix this, or at least try to.

"Kai!" I call to her, but she doesn't reappear. I shrug off my coat and slide off my shoes before jumping into the pond without a second thought. I open my eyes under the water to see an alarmed and irritated siren staring back at me. I point to the surface, silently asking her to talk to me. She frowns at me, but swims upward. I follow quickly behind her and the moment my head breaks the surface I'm tripping over my words in an attempt to apologize.

"Kai, I am so sorry. I didn't know what I had done wrong, but I think I know now. I hurt you and I'm so sorry. You— you're not just some creature to me. I never meant to imply that you were an experiment, or a pet, or anything like that. Kai. My creatures, they are the most important thing in my life. My animals are my family, and every single one of them is important to me. None of them are _just_ creatures; you are not _just_ a creature. You are… you are amazing. And beautiful and intelligent and fascinating and… my friend. You are my friend. Please know that. You don't have to forgive me, but please know that I lo—that you mean more to me than anything."

Kaimana POV

I stare at him as he spits out his apology, and try to calm myself. This man! He is so infuriating, and oblivious! But he is also kind, and caring, and I know that deep down he didn't mean to hurt me. I slowly swim closer to him, and he flinches. I slowly wrap my arms around him, and mouth, _I forgive you_ into his shoulder. He inhales sharply, then crushes me in a very tight hug. "Thank you! I truly am sorry Kai, I never meant to hurt you." I smile a little, and look up at him. He is beaming, and his face is a little flushed. I point my finger in his face, and give him a stern look. He nods sheepishly. "I know, I'll watch what I say from now on. Tell me if what I say hurts you when I say something. I'm not good with people, and sometimes I tend to annoy them or make them angry without knowing why." He says, glancing down at the water unhappily. I smile softly and kiss his cheek. How could I possibly stay mad at him when he has that sad puppy dog look on his face?

I smooth the wet hair away from his face, and try to convey everything I want to say with a reassuring grin. Newt gives me a cautious smile in return, his ocean blue eyes regaining their usual enthusiastic sparkle. "Soooo, could I possibly get my notebook back?" He asks. I roll my eyes fondly and nod at him. "Brilliant, because I really do need it back. I'm writing a book you know." He tells me, already back to his normal, cheerful self. I point towards the rock next to my pond, and he looks at it confused. He gets out of the water and lifts up the rock, revealing his book. "Aha, was it always here?" He asks, and I shake my head no. "Oh, so you moved it around. Very sneaky." I just grin in response. He grins softly, and picks up the notebook looking it over.

I pull myself out of the water to sit beside Newt. "Did you… read any of it?" He asks tentatively. I look away, nodding reluctantly. "Oh." Newt says, and we lapse into awkward silence for minute. "It's for my fellow wizards. So they can be educated about magical creatures, so they stop being afraid and hurting creatures when they should be helping." Newt explains finally, and look at him in surprise. He wants to educate them? Other wizards? "I don't want anything like what happened to you to ever happen again." He admits softly. This man is so sweet, so caring. How was I mad at him? I smile at him, and lean my head on his shoulder. I take his hand, and write in his palm, **You are so kind**. He leans his head on mine, and softly whispers, "Thank you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes: Hey everybody! Sorry for the delay! Life, you know? Unfortunately, since school started up again we might not be updating as consistently. Really sorry about this, but don't worry, we** ** _will_** **finish the story eventually. Enjoy :)**

 **Chapter Six**

Kaimana POV

"Good morning, Kai!" Newt greets me in his typical sunshiny way. I pout and swim lazily over to meet him. "Awww, don't be like that. It's a lovely day!" He beams at me. "Here, I brought you your voice potion." He hands me a glass of the foul liquid. I make a disgusted face and Newt chuckles at me. "Come on, you won't get better if you don't drink it." He tells me. I've been taking the potion for three days now, and there hasn't been much improvement on my voice. I'm able to make soft humming noises, but I have yet to attempt to actually speak. Newt keeps telling me to be patient, but it's difficult, and unbelievably frustrating. I quickly chug down the potion, grimacing as I do. "Haha, I know it's bad but if I tried to make it taste better it wouldn't help you anymore."

I frown and hum a little, rubbing my throat. "Does it feel any different?" He asks, and I make a so-so sign with my hand. "I'm sure it will be back to normal soon. Now, I have a very important question for you." He says, suddenly serious. I look at him, and tilt my head curiously. "How would you like to leave the suitcase and help me look for magical creatures in the area?" I immediately climb out of the water, nodding vigorously. "Okay, let's see if we can find some better clothes for you." He says, and I follow him eagerly to his workshop.

"Hmm. Let's see." Newt muses as he rifles through a large trunk full of clothes. "Aha! Here try this on." He tosses me some pants and a jacket. "Those should be much better suited to wandering around looking for magical creatures." He says. I quickly strip down, ignoring Newt's small noise of protest. Humans. Much too modest.

The black pants are too long for me, but the waist fits, so I roll up the cuffs until I no longer trip over the extra fabric. The jacket is also black and it's a bit too big for me, but it's warm and comfortable. Newt hands me a large pair of heavy boots. "You can't walk around barefoot in the plains of Africa." He tells me, when I raise an eyebrow at him. I reluctantly put them on, and try walking around. I wobble a bit, and Newt tries to stifle a laugh. I turn around to glare at him, but end up tripping and falling into him. He manages to catch me and keep us both from toppling over, however. "We might need to practice this before you go anywhere." He says amusedly, helping me stand up straight again. I frown lightly at the smugness in his voice, and stick my tongue at him. Newt just grins at me.

After a couple of minutes of practice, I finally get the hang of these devil shoes, and Newt deems me ready to go magical creature hunting. Newt grabs his bag and helps me up the ladder that leads out of the suitcase. I can't believe I'm getting to do this! I'm so excited! My first time in the real world in thirty years! I pause at the top of the suitcase and glance down at Newt, anxiety written across my face. "Don't worry. It'll be fine. I'll be right there with you." He reassures me, smiling gently. I give him a quick smile and look upwards. Right. Here we go.

I step out of the suitcase, and am immediately blinded by bright light. The sun is high in the sky, and heat beats down on the flat golden sand that stretches before me. I hear Newt climb out of the case and come to stand next to me. "Beautiful, isn't it?" He says, his voice betraying his excitement.

It's very different than my usual environment, I'll give him that. It's hot and dry, and the only plant life that I can see is clusters of small shrubs scattered here and there amongst the sand. I look back at him, and find him hand deep in sand feeling around. I walk over and sit down beside him. He looks at me quickly, and flashes a smile. "I'm trying to see if I can find any traces of the creature." I just look at him oddly, clearly showing him I'm amused. He gives a joking annoyed look, and goes back to searching. Is it actually safe for him to be doing that?

After a couple minutes of this, he finally gives up and sighs. "I could have sworn it would be around here." He says, sounding a bit sad. I frown, and bump his shoulder affectionately. He looks over at me, and I make a funny face. He looks startled for a moment, then laughs softly.

"You're right, you're right. But I'm sure she's around here somewhere." He says, a fierce, determined look in his eye. "I've been hearing reports of a wild creature attacking local villages. From the reports it seems that it's a large rampaging rhino with a glowing horn." He tells me, "The muggles think it's a mythical monster come to punish them, but I think it's an erumpent."

I stare at him in confusion. "An erumpent is basically the magical equivalent of a rhinoceros. They are much larger however, and they have glowing horns full of some kind of explosive substance. No one really knows what it is, as erumpents have not been studied very thoroughly." Newt explains, "I do know that they are very social creatures and tend to travel in herds. This one seems to be alone, which may be the cause of its distress. Erumpents are endangered, mostly due to loss of habitat, although wizards hunting them for sport has also been a huge issue." He says, his jaw clenched angrily.

I sigh and rest my hand over his. I grab my pen and slide Newt's sleeve up so I can write on his arm. **You are doing everything you can. I'm proud of you.** He smiles, and kisses my head, then leans away, blushing. "So sorry! I don't know what came over me!" I just smile softly, and shake my head at his silliness. We continue to look around for a couple minutes, sitting in relaxed silence, when suddenly we hear horrible crashing noises.

We look at each other for a second before Newt jumps up and grabs my hand; we take off running towards the sound. We quickly come upon the creature Newt described to me earlier. A hulking gray beast with a glowing orange horn is stampeding around in a frenzied rage. Newt looks at me, and whispers "Stay back, and let me handle this." I follow his orders, watching from the sidelines as Newt pulls a small bottle from his coat and dabbing something on his wrists. What on earth is he doing? Meanwhile the erumpent is wildly stamping its feet and battering a nearby tree. Every one of my instincts screams at me to run away, but I stay put, observing with a mixture horror and amazement. Newt casually strolls up to the mad creature, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace.

"Hello, my darling. I'm not here to hurt. I just want to help." He announces, effectively capturing the beasts' attention. The erumpent whirls around to face Newt, its eyes wide. I'm frozen in fear, waiting for the moment when the beast will charge him, and knowing there is nothing I can do when it does. Newt, however, remains utterly calm, setting his briefcase in front of him, moving slowly so as not to startle the erumpent. How exactly does he expect to get the beast in there?

The erumpent watches Newt's every move with a terrifying intensity, but he seems ridiculously unconcerned with this fact. Instead, he raises his arms and starts twirling in a circle, his coat flaring out behind him. He's completely lost his mind, there is not doubt. He's going to die, and I am surprisingly not okay with that idea. Newt continues to do a weird sort of dance, stomping his feet and making loud snuffling noises.

The erumpent just stands there, not attacking him, just watching his movements, and suddenly I realize what he's doing. He performing a mating dance. A startled laugh escapes me, dry and wheezing from decades of disuse, but it's a real laugh. Newt glances at me for a split second, a wide smile spread across his face. He heard me. The erumpent notices me for the first time and goes into a defensive position. I glance at Newt, who seems a little panicked, but he quickly manages to divert the beast's attention back to him.

I can't believe it! I actually made a noise! My voice is coming back! Despite the severity of our situation, a wild elation hums through me, and I have to stop myself from laughing out loud again and dancing in a circle. In this moment, I want nothing more than to run up to Newt and hug him, because without him I would never have gotten back my voice, or my life for that matter.

Newt is oblivious to my thoughts, focused solely on the erumpent. He continues his dance, shuffling his feet and making marks in the sand. He drops to the ground and rolls over before springing back to his feet. I assume the erumpent is pleased with this display because she bellows, collapses onto her side and slowly rolls onto her back. "Yes! That's it girl," Newt exclaims. I look on, debating if I should get closer. I wonder if Newt will let me pet her. Newt quickly opens his suitcase, and moves it so she rolls into the case. I must admit, wizards are pretty cool… or maybe it's just Newt. Once she's safely in the case, he snaps it shut and shouts with joy.

I grin and rush over to him, throwing my arms around him. He stumbles a little, but happily returns the embrace. "Kai! We caught her! And you laughed!" Newt babbles, grinning like a maniac. I tighten my embrace, and smile softly into his coat. This man is amazing. I don't know what I did to deserve him, but I'm never letting him go.

"Thank you." I rasp, wincing slightly at my still-sore throat.

"Be careful, don't overdo it." He warns me, but he's smiling. "And, you're welcome." He adds. I grin up at him, my arms still wrapped tightly around him. Newt chuckles fondly and presses a kiss on the top of my head. "Come on," He says, tugging me back towards the suitcase, "Let's go meet our new friend!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes: Hello friends! Surprisingly, our latest chapter is finished on time! Amazing, I know, but fair warning, we probably won't be updating as often form here on out. Sorry about that, but there's a lot of school and family stress going on, so hopefully you can forgive us. Enjoy :)**

 **Chapter Seven**

 **Kai's Pov**

It's been three days since we were able to get the Erumpent into the suitcase and Newt and I have made a lovely home for her. Well, mostly Newt made it, but I did help! We also found out that I can only be out of water for a few hours, or I get really tired and dizzy. _That_ little discovery resulted in Newt hovering anxiously over me for several hours, despite my insistence that I was fine. He sat by the pond and refused to leave, instead talking my ear off about the healing properties of murtlaps which, to be honest, it was kind of adorable to watch how excited he was about the subject. Unfortunately, he now refuses to let me out of the water for more than three hours at a time. It's not too bad though, Newt usually comes and talks to me to make sure I don't get bored, even though I spent thirty years alone in a tank, and am quite used to boredom.

Right now, I'm watching him run around trying to feed his creatures. I had offered to help, but he told me to stay in the water. So, now all I can do is sit and watch that dorky (albeit adorable) man run around like a maniac. "Do you need help?" I rasp out to him. My voice isn't fully back but it is getting there.

"No thank you. Momma Newt has it." He answers, though he's speaking more to the graphorns than to me. I laugh a little.

"If you say so, _Momma Newt._ " I reply, teasing him a bit. It feels so nice to finally speak to him, though I think I will wait on singing until I am fully healed.

Newt looks towards me for second and shoots me a smile. I grin back at him, continuing to watch in amusement as he tries to wrestle his watch back from niffler, while also trying not to trip over an overexcited graphorn baby that's running around him in circles. Newt sighs in exasperation and holds his watch up, niffler dangling from the end. "Let go, you awful troublemaker!" He scolds, before the baby graphorn rams into his legs and knocks him over. I burst into a fit of giggles and Newt lets out a frustrated groan.

"Do you need help?" I ask again.

"No." Newt calls back, still lying face down on the ground while the graphorn inspects his hair. I roll my eyes and haul myself out of the water to go help my ridiculous wizard. I quickly calm down the graphorn, and I easily convince niffler to hand me the watch. Newt looks on in shock and awe. "How did you do that!?" He asks incredulously, and I just shrug.

"Niffler loves me, so he doesn't ever do anything to upset me, and with the graphorn? I don't know they always just behave for me." I tell him, and notice a streak dirt on his nose. I bite my lip to hide my grin and rub the dirt from his face. He looks a bit embarrassed, but still gives me his adorable shy smile. "Thank you, Kai."

"You're welcome, clumsy wizard." I say, laughing when he pouts.

"I am not clumsy! I was clearly pushed." He says in an attempt to defend himself, but I smile and roll my eyes at him.

"Whatever you say." I respond, and haul the wizard to his feet.

"You really didn't have to help, I had everything under control." Newt mutters. I just shake my head at him, unwilling to waste my voice arguing. Newt is surprisingly stubborn when he wants to be. "Although, uh. Since you're out of the water anyway, would you… maybe help me with the erumpent? Just, you know if you want to." Newt asks awkwardly. I let out a long-suffering sigh.

"It's a good thing I like you." I tell him, and he smiles, looking far too pleased with himself. "Come on."

I grab his sleeve and we walk over to the erumpent enclosure. The first few days after we had settled her in her temporary home had been rather difficult. She had tried to stomp on several of the other creature's enclosures, and she had made high pitched whining noises the first night she was here. However, she had calmed down significantly since then, although she still doesn't like me much. I know that as soon as I get in there she's going to force me back out, but I told Newt I would help him.

"Isn't she amazing?" Newt says looking at her in amazement, and I frown. The erumpent looks at me, and I swear it's smirking.

"Yeah, amazing." I reply sarcastically, but Newt doesn't seem to notice my tone. He starts petting her side, but as soon as I try to approach the beast she "accidently" knocks me over. I glare at her, and Newt quickly helps me up.

"Sorry about that, must watch where you are walking though. She can't really control where her body shifts in such a small space." Newt says, and I glare at him but he misses it since he goes back to petting her.

"What do you need help with?" I ask waspishly. Newt glances up distractedly.

"Oh, yes. If you could just help me with the food, it's rather heavy." He leads me over to several enormous bales of hay.

"Wow. That's a lot of food." I note, and Newt hums in agreement. Together we manage to lift one of the bales and carry it over to the beast. The bale is unsurprisingly heavy, and the dried grass pokes out and scratches at my arms and face. I can barely see where I'm walking, so I rely on Newt to guide us.

"And drop it right here!" Newt tells me, and I happily let go. "Thank you!" Newt says, red faced and panting slightly, with bits of hay tangled in his hair.

"Yeah, no problem." I say, just before the erumpent comes wandering over, positioning herself between me and Newt. I huff, and glare at the erumpent with disdain. Newt laughs, and watches her eat.

"I'm going back to my pond if you don't need me anymore."

"Oh! Are you sure? I was hoping we could have lunch together since everyone else is eating now," He says, and I smile a little at him.

"We can do that if you want, but we should do that now so that the erumpent can eat in peace." I tell him, and he agrees. The erumpent quickly moves so she is blocking his way. He laughs a little.

"It's okay, Momma Newt will come visit you later, right now it's time for me to eat." He says, and pats her head. I grin smugly at her, and take Newt's hand. I tug Newt away from the erumpent enclosure, eager to be away from the irritating beast, and lead him back to my pond. "You get back in the water, I'll go get our dinners, okay?" Newt says, and I nod happily. I dive into the pond and wait patiently for him to return.

He shows up a few minutes later balancing two plates while also carrying a set of candles. "Um, Newt? Why did you bring candles?" I ask curiously.

"What? Oh! I thought it would be better than eating our dinner in the dark." He replies, gently setting everything on the grass in front of me.

"I see." Glancing around, I notice the light is indeed quickly fading from the artificial sky, and the two of us are now sitting in half-darkness. Newt carefully lights three candles with his wand and arranges them around us.

"There, now we have a nice setting to eat our dinner. What do you think?" He asks me, his beaming face warm and familiar in the candlelight.

"It's lovely." I say softly, ignoring the way my stomach flip-flops when he smiles at me. Newt nods, satisfied, and hands me a plate of crab legs.

"Thank you!" I say, and immediately start working on pulling the crab legs apart. Newt chuckles softly and starts eating his sandwich and baked potatoes. I look at his food funny, tilting my head. "Is that good?" I ask. He nods and hands me a fork full of potato. I take a bite, before scrunch up my nose with disgust. I swallow quickly, and shake my head.

"I don't like the earthy taste," I tell him, then hold out some crab meat for him.

"Thank you, Kai, but I would get sick eating that. I prefer my crab meat to be cooked," He explains. I shrug, and continue eating. We sit together, making small talk here and there about all the new creatures that Newt wants to save.

"I'm going to go to Egypt at some point," He tells me, make wide, enthusiastic gestures as he speaks. "There are rumors of an illegal magical creature trafficking group that I'd like to investigate."

"To stop them?" I ask.

"No, just to make sure they're treating the creatures properly, and all that. I let the aurors deal with arresting people and all that nonsense."

"I see. It sounds dangerous."

"Oh, don't worry, I probably won't go to Egypt until after I drop you off in Hawaii." He says to reassure me, but somehow, I'm not reassured.

"But then who will make sure you don't get yourself killed?" I ask, only half-jokingly.

"Hey! I been doing perfectly well up until now!" Newt protests, though the smile on his face ruins the effect.

"Hmm, no. I think I'll go with you, and then go to Hawaii after. I want to make sure you're safe," I tell him sternly, and he just looks at me with his mouth moving but no words coming out.

"You could get hurt! I would never want you to get hurt just because you wanted to protect me!" He tells me looking shocked, but why? Is he really that surprised that I want him to be safe?

"I'll be fine, besides if I'm on land and not near water than no one will even know I'm a siren." I state, and he frowns.

"Yes, but what if you're out of the water for too long? You could get seriously injured, and I said I would never let anything bad happen to you again." He says, stubbornly. I sigh and roll my eyes.

"You can't control everything, and I'm not in a big hurry to get to Hawaii. It will still be there in three months, or even three years. I'm not leaving you to fight off a gang of smugglers by yourself. Besides," I grin mischievously, "You're not the only one with magic. I can protect myself."

"Wait, what magic?" Newt asks, looking adorably confused. I shake my head at him.

"I'm a siren, Newt. Now that I have my voice back, I can control pretty much anybody just by singing to them." After I say this Newt immediately summons his journal and starts franticly taking notes.

"Fascinating, can you tell me more?" He asks, looking at me with hopeful eyes. I nod and tell him some more about my people.

"Some of the stories are true about some tricking sailors to their demise, although many sirens just use their magic to trick men into buying them things they want. Our voices are a bit like your Imperio curse." I explain.

"Would you use this on me?" He asks, not really scared more curious.

"No! Newt I would never do that! Besides, I know that if I really need or want something all I have to do is ask you." I say, and he grins.

"Good." He reaches out and covers my hand with his. "I'm glad you know that, because it's true. I would do anything for you Kai." He says, smiling with that heart-stopping way of his. I feel a blush creep up my neck, and I hope desperately that it's too dark for Newt to notice. If he notices he doesn't show any sign, instead he moves away and goes back to frantically writing in his notebook. "So, what else can you do? Do your powers work on everyone? Do you have to be singing for it to work?" Newt fires question after question at me, and I answer them as best I can.

"That's the extent of my magical abilities to my knowledge, but who knows. My powers work on most everyone, although some people with extreme willpower can throw off the spell. And yes, I have to be singing."

"You are truly amazing, my dear." Newt says, and I blush again, sinking down further into the water. He laughs, and pats my head. "You are a silly siren," Newt snickers, and I stick my tongue at him.

"I am not!" I snap playfully at him.

"Yes, you are, but I like you anyways." He teases lightly, smiling at me like I'm the most fascinating thing he's ever seen. A warm, fluttery feeling starts in my stomach.

"Really?" I ask softly, resting my elbows on the grass and leaning forward so my face is inches away from Newt's. He stares back at me with his lovely blues eyes, and I notice when his gaze flickers down to my lips.

"Yes…" He whispers back, and a fire starts in my chest, spreading rapidly down my limbs. I grin triumphantly and lean forward to press my lips against his. Newt freezes for a moment, startled, before tentatively kissing me back. I lift myself further out of the water, and Newt shyly puts his arm around my waist. We both ease slowly into the kiss, only breaking apart finally for air. We stare at each other, and Newt's face turns completely red.

"We kissed!? Kai! We kissed!" He says, going from shocked to excited, then hugs me tightly. I laugh a little, and hug him back. I climb out of the water fully, and I slowly pull Newt closer to peck him on the lips. He gives me his adorably shy smile and nuzzles my cheek.

"I have wanted to do that for quite some time my silly wizard." I say. He laughs quietly and pulls me into his lap.

"Well, you should have done it sooner." He murmurs, and I tilt my head up to kiss him again. His lips are soft and I can still sense his slight hesitance, as though he can't really believe this is happening. Neither can I, to be honest. I reach up and tangle my fingers in his curly hair, enjoying the feeling of being so completely and utterly loved. At that moment I can think of nothing better than to stay here, forever wrapped in the arms of my amazing, ridiculous wizard.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes: Hello friends! Sorry for the delay, but thank you so much for your patience! Enjoy :)**

 **Chapter Eight**

Newt POV

I kissed Kai. Kai kissed me. We kissed. I can't stop replaying the moment over and over in my head. I was so giddy after dinner, I could barely sleep last night. She kissed me! And it was amazing! Hmm, I wonder if maybe that's because of her siren magic. Maybe she's just had a lot of practice? I shake my head, dispelling those thoughts. Whatever it is, it's wonderful.

I head down to the enclosures ridiculously early in the morning, telling myself it's because I want to get an head start before we leave for Egypt, but mostly it's just because I can't wait any longer to see Kai. She's sitting on the edge of the pond and is lazily waving her tail through the water.

"Good Morning!" I call to her, grinning. She glances up at me and smiles.

"Newt! Good Morning," She calls back, and I melt a little. I want to kiss her again, but I don't know if she would want that, so I just plop down next to her. Pickett immediately climbs up onto her shoulder. She is amazing with the other creatures, I've never seen Pickett cling to anybody like he does with me. She smiles softly at him and kisses his head. I pout a little because I didn't get one, but I look away before she can see it. I feel her lean against my shoulder, and when I turn to look at her she leans forward and kisses me.

I smile against her lips, happily kissing her back. Kai breaks away a few moments later, giggling.

"What?" I ask her, and she shoots me a fond look.

"Nothing, you're just cute." She replies. "So, what are we doing today?" She asks, bouncing excitedly beside me, and I laugh softly at her enthusiasm.

"I was going to start preparing for our trip to Egypt."

"Aha! You're letting me come with you!" Kai says, grinning delightedly.

"Yes, but if you come you have to promise to be careful and to do exactly as I say. Okay? I don't want you to get hurt." I explain seriously. She nods, equally serious.

"I promise. This goes both ways though, I don't want you to get hurt either." Kai adds, locking her stormy gray eyes on mine.

"Yes, alright. I won't take any unnecessary risks or anything." I say, pretending to be exasperated, but internally, I'm dizzy with happiness. I've never had someone to come along with me on my explorations, and I've certainly never had someone worry about me like this before. I wonder if she'll enjoy this so much she won't even want to leave for Hawaii. I kiss her head, and then we eat breakfast together.

"What's Egypt like?" Kai asks, looking at me with an adorable, intrigued look on her face.

"Well, it can be very warm, and some don't like the sand, although I find it beautiful for some reason," I say, and she looks confused but nods. I laugh sheepishly rubbing my head.

"Sorry, I guess that doesn't really answer your question." I say, and she shakes her head.

"It's okay, I'm still excited to see it," She says, and plays with Pickett. I watch them for a little while, occasionally making notes in my notebook about anything we might need to bring on our trip, and Kai often adds things that I forget.

"I'm still not sure about having you come with me, what if it takes longer than three hours and you get sick again from being out of the water?" I voice my concerns, yet again. Kai rolls her eyes at my argument, the two of us could go back and forth on this forever.

"Newt, I told you. I'll be fine. I can be out of the water for up to six hours, you just insist on not letting me out of the pond for longer than an hour at a time." She says, scowling. I sigh and lean against her.

"I know, I know, but I worry." I murmur.

"I know, love." She whispers, stroking my hair. "But no matter what, I'm coming with you, so get used to it. Now come on, help me finish planning! We're going to have fun, explore, and possibly rescue some magical creatures!" Kai announces, poking me in the side to encourage me to get a move on.

"Alright, alright." I grumble, and the two of us head back to the workshop to start packing. "I need to find my passport, I can't remember where I left it. Hopefully niffler didn't steal it again." I mutter thoughtfully, ignoring Kai's amused smirk. I move around some papers from my desk, but the passport does not appear. Where could that little book be? I feel something tap my head, and I spin around. Kai is standing there holding my passport with a small smirk on her face.

"Thank you," I take it from her, and place a small kiss on her lips. She grins, and looks at around my work space.

"We should really clean this room," She notes, and I glance around the room, frowning. I guess it is kind of messy.

"I suppose we should clean it huh. Alright." I roll up my sleeves, and look at Kai. She ties her hair up, and looks for a place to start. "We could start with the chests, most of them are full of clothes and old books. It'd be good to get them sorted, and they would take up a lot less space." I suggest. Kai gives me a fleeting smile and gets to work opening and upending the trunks. I sit down beside her on the floor and we begin sifting through the old dusty books, the random magical artifacts, and occasional loose potion ingredients.

"Um, Newt? What is this?" Kai asks, holding up a tiny glass vial of yellowish powder.

"Don't drop that!" I yelp, and Kai clutches the vial to her chest, staring at me with wide eyes.

"What is it?" She asks, horrified. I reach over and gently take the powder from her.

"Powdered unicorn horn." I tell her, with a cheeky grin. Kai scowls and slaps my arm.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack, don't do that again." She says, and I stifle a laugh.

"Sorry." I reply, not really meaning it, and Kai shoots me a suspicious glare.

"You have far too many books." She observes. I shake my head.

"You can never have too many books, Kai. Especially when you're taking care of unpredictable magical animals. You never know what might come in handy." I tell her, distractedly flipping through an old transfiguration book from my years at Hogwarts.

"Why don't you have a book case then? And why are there random objects thrown in?" She asks, staring pointedly at a broken stick. I gasp in surprise.

"I thought I lost that!" I exclaim, grabbing the wooden piece. "It's my old wand!"

"How did you break your wand? And why do you still have it?" Kai wonders.

"I don't appreciate your judgmental tone." I reply. "And I'll have you know, this was my very first wand, I'm very sentimentally attached to it."

"Hmmm. Then why did you break it?" Kai asks teasingly, and I flinch.

"I didn't. An auror did." I answer shortly. Kai inhales sharply and places a comforting hand on my back.

"What happened?" She asks softly.

"I was expelled from Hogwarts, the school for witches and wizards, and my wand was broken as punishment. It was the worst day of my life." I tell her, the memories flashing before my eyes as I spoke. Standing on trial before dozens of angry looking witches and wizards in black robes. Professor Dumbledore pleading on my behalf. Watching my wand snapped neatly in half and tossed at my feet.

Kai continued to rub my back, silently offering her sympathy. With an effort, I forced a smile back on my face. "You know, technically, I'm not even supposed to have a wand anymore. Luckily, I managed to find a wandmaker in Italy who was willing to sell me one in exchange for a frankly ridiculous amount of rare blue phoenix feathers." I say, with false levity.

Kai gives me an understanding smile and thankfully doesn't ask any more questions, instead returning to the matter of sorting books.

The two of us work in relative silence for the next few hours, absorbed in studying the curiosities that have been sitting at the bottom of my chests for ages. Kai occasionally shows me a book or an artifact that she doesn't understand or finds interesting, and I happily explain them to her. After about three hours into our cleaning spree, Kai's voice pipes up from across the room and pulls me out of my thoughts, "Hey, Newt?"

"Yeah?"

"What's this?" She asks, and I turn around to see what she's found. In her hands is a dusty golden cup, embossed with a badger crest.

"That's from my school days at Hogwarts," I tell her then point to the badger. "That's the sign for Hufflepuff. It's the house I was sorted into, and stayed in while I attended Hogwarts."

She looks at the cup, and then at me tilting her head a little.

"What are the other houses?" she asks, and I proceed to fill her in on the houses and animals that are for each. She looks excited, and clutches the cap.

"What house do you think I'd be in?" she asks. I think about it for a minute.

"Hmm, maybe Slytherin? But then again, I'm no sorting hat so I could be wrong." I say, shrugging my shoulders a little.

"You think I'm cunning and ambitious?" She asks curiously.

"Definitely. Then again, you are also incredibly brave and bold, so you could be a Griffindor." I answer thoughtfully. Kai looks delighted.

"This wizarding school of yours sounds fascinating!" She says.

"Yeah, it is." I agree, but the words leave a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. Kai freezes and watches me carefully, but when I show no outward signs of distress she relaxes a bit. The past is the past, there's no use getting upset over it. Or at least, that's what I tell myself.

"You know, I think we've done enough cleaning for today. Let's go eat dinner, and we can work on cleaning and packing for Egypt tomorrow." I tell her, and she agrees.

"Would you like to help me feed the others, and then help make our dinner?" I ask her, and she jumps to her feet.

"Of course, let's feed niffler and Pickett first." Kai says, and Pickett agrees from my shirt pocket. I sigh. So much for not having favorites. We gather up their food and I feed Picket while Kai feeds the niffler. I love that she cares so much for the others, but I still wish she wasn't helping niffler with his mischief.

We work together efficiently, managing to get all the animals taken care of in less than an hour. "Wow. I don't think I've ever gotten everything done that quickly before. You are amazing, you know that?"

"I know." Kai says, and pulls me in for a kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes: Hello everyone! New chapter, and just in time for Valentine's Day! This one's a little more fluffy and domestic than anything, but not to worry, the plot will kick in next chapter. Enjoy :)**

 **Chapter Nine**

Kai POV

The week leading up to our trip to Egypt is chaotic. Newt and I spend hours writing up a list of everything we might need, and Newt often leaves the suitcase to get all the necessary paperwork done. Apparently, he needs a wand permit in order to go to another country, but since his wand isn't technically legal in England he has to use more complex (and illegal) means. He's also not actually allowed to transport magical creatures across international borders, but that's clearly never stopped him before.

While Newt's away, I take care of the creatures and work on packing. It's strange, the way Newt and I care for the creatures it's as though we are their parents in a way. I blush furiously, and bury my face in one of Newt's books. How could think that!? Although, Newt calls himself Momma so does that make me Daddy Kai? I burst into giggles at that thought. I hear someone approaching from behind me and I turn see Newt standing there, watching me with a bemused look on his face.

"Are you having a break down?" He asks, bewildered and slightly concerned. I shake my head no, and laugh some more.

"I just had some strange thoughts that made me laugh." I tell him, and he seems to accept it, but he still looks at me warily.

"How did it go?" I ask him, to deflect any more questions. Newt sighs and rubs the back of his neck.

"Okay. They said the papers will be done by tomorrow, so we can leave any time after that. Did you get most of the packing done?"

"Yes, it's all done, and the creatures are all taken care of." I say. Newt stares at me blankly for a moment before beaming at me and wrapping me in a hug.

"You're fantastic! You didn't have to do all that! How did you do all of that?" He asks me, confused. I roll my eyes at him and peck him on the lips.

"You forget, I'm magical. I can do anything." I say, and he kisses my nose. I smile at him, and show him my checklist. "I double checked this, and everything is finished."

"Thank you! You are certainly a great help." He says, and holds me closer. This man is such a sweetie. He looks over the list and starts mumbling to himself. He's still a dork though. I let him go, and head to my pond. I feel something touching my cheek, and I look at my shoulder to see Pickett sitting on it.

"Pickett! Hello lovely!" I say, and gently pet his head. Hopefully, Newt doesn't freak out because Pickett isn't with him right now. "Are you ready to go on an adventure?" I ask the little creature, and he nods seriously. "Me too."

I slide into the water, carefully keeping my head above the surface so Pickett doesn't get wet. I float on my back, Pickett climbs onto my stomach, and the two of us swim peacefully around the pond for a little bit.

Egypt. I wonder what it's like there. I wonder what creatures we'll meet. Hmm. What kind of magical creatures live in Egypt? Sphinxes? Newt did mention poachers though, so there could be animals from all over the world! New creatures that I've never met, or even heard of before! A sudden thought enters my mind, and I sit up so fast that I accidentally knock Picket into the water.

"Oh, my goodness! I'm so sorry!" I dive to the bottom of the pond to rescue an extremely ticked off looking bowtruckle.

"I'm sorry, Pickett!" I say, pleading his forgiveness, but he blows a raspberry and turns his back on me. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was just… what if there's another one? What if we find another siren?" I whisper, more to myself than to Pickett.

It's almost too ridiculous to consider, but it _is_ possible. Sirens are often hunted for sport; their enchanting voices making them a lovely challenge for hunters. Not to mention our scales are a rare and powerful potion ingredient. What if we meet one and Newt likes her more? Or wants her to come live with us? I wouldn't mind meeting another siren, but what if we are just too different? I've been away from my kind for so long I don't even know how I would react to meeting one again.

I feel a tug on my hair, and I looks down at Pickett. He rubs my thumb, and smiles at me. I sadly smile back at him, and nuzzle his cheek against mine.

"Thank you for trying to cheer me up." I say then kiss his head. I hear a yell from behind me, and I quickly turn my head. Newt is running over to me panicked.

"I can't find Pickett!" he says through pants. Oops, looks like he did freak. I quickly show him Pickett.

"It's okay! He's with me. He wanted to be with me for a little while, I'm sorry we worried you," I say trying not to upset him. He sighs, and plops down next to the ponds edge.

"Thank Merlin. I nearly had a heart attack." He says, then holds his hand out for Pickett to climb on, which he does after kissing my cheek. Newt cuddles him close for a second and lets him crawl back to his usual place under the collar of Newt's coat.

"So, are you ready for our little adventure?" Newt asks me, brimming with excitement. I push away the doubts in my mind and offer him a small smile.

"Yes. I can't wait." I reply. Newt beams and wraps an arm around me.

"It's going to be amazing!"

"It already is." I say, and lean against my wizard.

Newt POV

Today is the day! Today, we go to Egypt! I woke up extra early this morning to make sure all of the creatures had everything they needed while we were gone, and I triple checked the supplies. I also went out and bought Kai some proper clothes that will actually fit her, so hopefully she'll like them.

I head over to the pond, carrying the bag full of clothes and practically vibrating with anticipation. It's been ages since I went on a real exploration! I haven't gone anywhere really since before I found Kai. I stop and watch her brush her fingers through her hair and softly hum to herself. Merlin, how did I end up with this beautiful woman?

I sneak up behind her then pull her into a hug. She lets out a small yelp, then laughs. I nuzzle her cheek.

"Good morning," I say, and she tilts her head to kiss me.

"Well good morning. I can see you're excited for today." She says, with a small smile.

"Oh, I am! I can't wait to show you around, and see all the new creatures with you! I also got you some new clothes." I ramble, then show her the clothes. She looks at them then motions for me to turn around, which I do, with a small blush. I stand with my back turned for a few minutes until she gives me permission to look again.

"Oh my." I murmur when I turn around to face Kai again. These clothes are certainly an improvement over the other ones. I got her a new pair of pants that actually fit her. They're much more practical than the skirt, or the oversized pants she has been wearing. I also bought a blue blouse and a black wool coat for her to wear. The overall effect is… startling. I've become so used to seeing Kai in her siren state, or in old had-me-down clothes, that seeing her dressed like a real human seems strange. Not bad. Just strange.

"You look lovely."

"Thank you. They will take some getting used to but I like them." She says, smiling and glancing at her reflection in the water. While adjusts to her new attire I take the time to study her, but she catches me looking in the water's reflection and I blush. Kai smirks and walks up to me placing her hands on my chest.

"See something you like?" She asks, and I nod nervously. Kai bites her lip and reaches up to tangle her fingers in my hair. "Like what?"

"You." I say, and lean down to capture her lips with mine. Kai hums and happily kisses me back. I wrap my arms around her waist and draw her closer until her body is flush with mine.

"Newt?" Kai murmurs, pulling away from me slightly and gazing at me with her serious stormy eyes.

"Yes?" I ask, resting my forehead against hers.

"I'm nervous." She admits.

"Don't worry. I'll be right there with you." I say, smiling reassuringly. Kai nods and takes a deep breath to collect herself.

"Okay." She says, and gives me a fleeting kiss before deftly twisting out of my grip. "Let's go!" She calls over her shoulder as she marches for the workshop.

I run a hand through my hair and sigh. That girl will be the death of me. I share a look with Pickett, and follow after my siren.

Kai has already gotten our check list out and is triple checking to make sure we have everything ready.

"Are we all set?" I ask her, and she gives me a wide grin.

"Yes, we have everything all set, and I've spoken to niffler about him trying to leave and how dangerous it is. He promised to stay put." She says, and I shake my head in amazement. I pull her close, and kiss her a couple times making her laugh.

"You, my love, are inspiring. I can never get him to listen to what I have to say." I tell her, and she shrugs.

"That's because you don't share the same bond as we do, and I let him get away with more than you do," She says with a laugh.

"You spoil him." I tell her, and nuzzle her neck. Kai rolls her eyes and pushes me away gently.

"Enough delaying, it's time to go!" She announces, leaving no room for argument. I sigh. This is either going to be really good, or really bad.

I pick up my backpack full of food, water, spare clothes, and various equipment that may, or may not be useful, depending on the creatures we come across. Kai grabs her pack and links her arm through mine.

"Egypt, here we come!" She says, with a wide grin on her face. Together, the two of us climb out of the suitcase and into the real world once more.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes: Wow! New chapter finally! Sorry, everything's been crazy lately, but thank you all so much for your patience! And, as a reward, have an extra-long chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Ten**

Kai POV

Apparently, Newt had the suitcase shipped to Egypt via boat while we were still in it "to save on the cost of tickets, Kai!", so when we stepped outside the case we ended up on a dock, surrounded by a crowd of impatient, pushy people. Ugh, humans.

"Uh, Newt? Where are we?"

"Egypt, of course! Alexandria Port, to be exact!" Newt says, with an air of enthusiasm.

"How did we get here? I'm no expert, but shouldn't it have taken us months to get here?" I ask. I know humans have a lot of advanced technology, but even they can't travel half-way across the world in the span of a week. Not without magic, anyway.

"Technically, yes. However, I've been to this port before, so as soon as the boat got us close enough, I could apparate us directly here. It's just hard to apparate half-way across the world in one go." He explains.

"I see." I murmur, taking in my new surroundings with no small amount of apprehension. It didn't really occur to me that I would have to interact with other humans besides Newt, and to be perfectly honest, I'm still very wary of them. I know from experience that they aren't all as kind and understanding as Newt is. I stick close to his side, and he holds my hand.

"I won't let anything happen to you I promise," He says, and I smile shakily at him.

"I know, I'm just still uneasy about being other humans besides you. I'd rather deal with magical creatures any day," I say. He pulls me into a one-armed hug and rubs my back.

"Same here love, just remember that I will never let anyone hurt you. And if they do try anything, well, I'm sure some of our creatures would love to spend some time with them," He says grinning devilishly, and I shiver. Wow. That should not be as sexy as it is.

"Let's go, then." Newt says, a fierce look of determination on his face. He reaches down to pick up his suitcase, and then squeezes my, as the two of us step into the flow of people.

The only way I can think to describe walking through the crowed port is like swimming right through the middle of a huge school of fish. Everyone seems to be touching you, and bumping into you, and outright shoving in the direction they're trying to go. The only thing that keeps me grounded is Newt's hand in mine.

We travel like that for an unspecified amount of time, but it's long enough for me to know that I would rather spend the rest of my life in Newt's suitcase rather than visit human civilization again.

Finally, we managed to make our way off the dock and just when I think we are free, we have to suffer through an inspection. According to Newt, we need to have our suitcase checked before we can enter the country. I don't know why we don't just apparate through, but Newt seems to think this is necessary.

So, we spend an even longer amount of time waiting in line to have Newt's suitcase full of dangerous magical creatures checked for illegal fruit. And it's not just boring, oh no, that would be too easy. It's also unbelievably hot.

The sun beats down us mercilessly, and being surrounded by humans packed tightly together does absolutely nothing to cool it down. I quickly strip out of the black coat Newt gave me. I consider taking off my shirt too, but when I move to undo the buttons Newt shoots me a warning look and I resign myself to this hell.

How can humans handle living in this heat day to day? Maybe the reason they are always so angry and grumpy with each other is because this what they deal with all the time. Newt hands me some water and I gulp down half of it, then give it back to him. He looks at me worriedly, but I wave off his concern.

"I'm fine Newt, just not used to the heat. I'll adjust to it," I tell him.

"Okay but if you get too hot, go back into the case. I don't want you getting sick," He says, and I kiss is cheek.

"I will don't worry," I tell him, then lean my head on his shoulder.

Finally, finally, we get to the front of the line, and Newt hands his suitcase to an old man with a large white mustache, and a permanent scowl. The man thumps the suitcase down on the small table in front of him and flips the latch open. I have no idea how Newt is intending to keep his creatures hidden, but I trust that he has a plan.

I hold my breath as the inspector opens the lid of the suitcase and peers inside to see… clothes. I relax and glance at Newt who is watching me with amusement. I stick my tongue out at him. The inspector closes the suitcase with a snap and hands it back to Newt, before waving us impatiently forward.

"How did you do that?" I ask, as soon as we are start walking away.

"Simple concealment charm, works every time. Muggles are laughably easy to fool." Newt says, grinning smugly.

"You would make an excellent criminal." I mutter, and he nods in agreement.

"I sort of am, depending on who you ask." He says, and I think about that. I guess he is, in a way.

"So, I'm together with a criminal. Hmm that's kind of hot," I say just to embarrass him, and it works. His face becomes really, really red and it's definitely not from the heat.

"Kai!" He protests, looking around franticly, probably making sure no one heard. I just grin, and walk ahead of him.

"What? One, it's true, and two, I love to see you flustered my love," I say cheekily, and he pretends to frown at me.

"You are going to be the death of me," He groans.

"Of course not! Without you I would be so bored." I tease, kissing his cheek. Newt fights back a pleased smile as the two of us exit the docks and step out onto the streets of Alexandria.

I don't know what made me think that the city would somehow be better than the crowded docks, but in any case, it isn't. The streets are even more crowded and noisy and hot. People bustle around each other, carrying baskets, and pots, and various, non-magical livestock. The street is crammed full of stalls, the vendors shouting and encouraging costumers to buy their products. The air is thick with the smell of animals and humans, occasionally mixed with the spicy smell of different foods drifting from the stalls.I wonder if Newt will let us get something eat when we are done. Something smells amazing, though I can't put my finger on what it is.

I glance around trying to find something that Newt might find interesting, but I don't notice anything strange, or out of place. I look over at him, to see him watching at me with a soft smile.

"You were just looking for creatures, weren't you?" He asks, and I smile.

"I was hoping to find something that you would be interested in, but it's harder than I thought," I tell him frowning. How does he do this every day?

"I don't think we'll find any creatures around here, they tend to avoid muggle societies if they can. We'd have to go out into the middle of the wilderness to hope to find anything. Or, we'd have to find a group of poachers, which is exactly what we plan to do." Newt says.

"How are we supposed to do that?"

"I know a guy." He replies, holding out his arm. With a resigned sigh, I take his arm and the next thing I know, we're disapparating with a crack.

Apparating is probably the most unpleasant way to travel, in my opinion. It's like being squeezed through a tiny tube and having all of your insides turned into goo, before being abruptly dropped into an unfamiliar location. As soon as we landed I doubled over and tried not to throw up.

"Kai? Are you okay?" Newt sounded alarmed, placing a gentle hand on my back. I swallowed a couple of times and took a deep breath.

"Yeah… yeah I'm good." I manage, closing my eyes and willing the world to stop spinning. "Maybe a little warning next time, though?"

"Er, yeah. Sorry about that. I forgot that you've never apparated before. It can be a bit… overwhelming the first time." Newt says. I take another deep breath and compose myself.

"No kidding." I murmur, and take in my new surroundings. "Newt? Where are we?" I ask.

"This is where my contact is." He explains. I glance doubtfully around. We're standing in front of an old abandoned store front, streams of people walking past us, seemingly oblivious to the fact that two random people just appeared out of nowhere.

"Newt, love. This is an abandoned shop." I say, patiently. Newt grins mischievously.

"It only looks like an abandoned shop." He says, and marches up to the door. I sigh and reluctantly follow after him. Why can't he just take three seconds to explain something to me before marching off?

Newt holds the door open for me expectantly, offering me a blinding smile. I shake my head and try not to smile back as I walk through the door.

As soon as I cross into the shop the old, broken down façade falls away. The inside of the shop is alive with color and noise, and I almost think we're back in Newt's suitcase. Various types of animals are curled up in cages stacked around the room, the most prominent of which is an enormous rainbow colored snake coiled contentedly in a large glass tank in front of the store window.

"Newt? What is going on?" I ask, glancing warily at a birdcage containing a bright turquoise owl swinging above my head.

"This is where we can start looking for our creatures." He says, looking at all the creatures grinning. "Beautiful, aren't they?"

"Yes. I wish they were free though," I say, frowning. Memories of my time trapped within that tank come to mind, and I grip my arm, digging the nails into my skin. I feel Newt gently touch my arm and I flinch away.

"Kai it's me you're not there anymore," Newt says, calmly moving my arms apart. I take a few breathes, and shake my head, trying to get rid of the horrid memories.

"I-I'm okay. Sorry, seeing them like that just brought back bad memories." I say with a shaky voice, and Newt kisses my forehead.

"You are free now, and soon, so will all the other creatures." He says, and I smile sadly.

"I know, and I hope that your dream comes true sooner rather than later." I say, then kiss him sweetly on the lips. "Now, show me around and let's see what we can do."

"Right. We should find my contact. He's the owner of this shop, and he knows where we'll be able to find the group of smugglers." Newt says.

"Um, are you sure we haven't already found them?" I ask, looking pointedly at a hermit crab-like creature wandering around in a terrarium full of snow and ice. Newt laughs and shakes his head.

"Alright, good point. But he doesn't mistreat his creatures, illegal though they may be. He's actually a magizoologist, like me." Newt tells me. I tilt my head in confusion. I didn't realize there were other wizards like Newt.

"Alexios!" Newt calls out, presumably to the shop's owner. From far back in the shop a series of loud curses rings out, or at least, I assume they're curses judging from the tone of voice, but the words are in a language I don't understand.

"Hang on!" The voice calls back, in English this time. Newt shoots me a reassuring grin as what sounds like a tower of metal cages falls over, followed by more cursing.

After a while, a man wanders out from behind the shelves of terrariums and aquariums, looking extremely put out.

"What do you want!" The man demands, until he catches sight of Newt and breaks into a wide grin. "Newt Scamander!" He exclaims, and rushes forward to drag Newt into a hug. "How are you my friend!"

"I'm wonderful, Alexios! How are you?" Newt asks, awkwardly patting the man on the back, and winking at me over his shoulder.

I stand away from the two magizoologists and try not to stare at Newt's friend. He is… not what I expected.

The man, Alexios, is tall, even taller than Newt. He wears a stained and dirty looking apron, and he has long, curly black hair that looks like it hasn't been brushed, well, ever. But most strangely, the man has long, twisting antlers sprouting from the top of his head.

"Ah, not so well, Scamander. The mothfly eggs have just started to hatch, the sun hogs have started molting, and on top of that the Pemberley fish is ill again." Alexios says, shaking his head sadly.

"Well, I'm very sorry to hear that. Have you tried brushing the hogs?" Newt suggests. Alexios nods.

"Yes, I've tried everything!" He laments, and the two of them get caught up in a conversation about potential antidotes for molting sun hogs.

I give up trying to follow along, and let my mind wander. I try to subtly study Alexios' antlers. They're taller than they are wide, and they look more like the branches of a tree than actually antlers. They also seem incredibly familiar. I don't remember much from my years before captivity, but I do have a vague memory of meeting a nymph once, with green tinged skin, a bad attitude, and antlers that looked remarkably similar to Alexios'.

"You're a nymph!" I blurt out, cutting into their conversation, then flushing with embarrassment.

Alexios narrows his eyes at me. "Half nymph. What of it?" He asks, defensively.

"Sorry. I just, I didn't know there could be male nymphs." I say, cowering a bit under his gaze.

"Yeah? Well I didn't know there could be sirens that weren't bloodthirsty monsters." He replies, sharply. I flinch at his tone, but I know I deserved that.

"Alexios, this is Kaimana," Newt says, going over to me wrapping his arm around my waist. I lean into him, and look at the ground.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," I say, and Alexios sighs.

"I am sorry too. How did you two meet?" He asks, and I look at Newt. Newt nods and looks at Alexios. He tells him everything. From how we met, to how long I've been living in the suitcase, to how we got together. He stares at us for a brief moment, then laughs.

"Always knew you would end up with some exotic beauty," Alexios says, and Newt looks embarrassed, and a tiny bit proud at the same time.

"Um, yes. Anyway, perhaps we could get to work?" Newt asks.

"Yes, yes. Good point. Thank you for coming, by the way. I know it's short notice, but, well. It's important."

"I figured it would be, considering I haven't heard from you in ages." Newt says, with a pointed look. Alexios shrugs.

"Things have been… crazy. The aurors have been tracking us down again. Goodness knows why. They should be focusing on the dangerous smuggling ring, but oh no, they'd rather go after a few stray witches and wizards." He says, shaking his head.

"Still, I figure the best way to get things done is to do them yourself, or at least get a good friend to them for you." Alexios says with a grin. "Come on to the back, I'll get the others and we can give you the details."

We follow him back and I look around clinging to Newts arm. I am not sure how safe I feel here, and I desperately hope Newt knows what he's doing.

"Who else are we meeting Newt?" I ask, but Alexios shushes me. I frown and stick my tongue at his back. Newt kisses my head reassuringly.

"Just a few other friends. They're witches and wizards who are on the run from the law. Like me. Most of them were caught smuggling illegal plants or animals and had to leave their country." Newt murmurs, as Alexios leads us deeper into the shop, past rows and row of strange beasts.

"Oh." I reply faintly, trying not to freak out. Smugglers. Like the people who captured me all those years ago. I don't remember their names, or their faces. Just cold hands, and eyes searing with hatred and cruel delight in my misery. I shiver and position myself closer to Newt as we walk.

The shop appears to go on for ages, making me think it's got an expansion charm on it, like Newt's suitcase. The deeper we go into the shop, it seems, the stranger things we find. The place feels almost claustrophobic with all the dusty shelves packed full of terrariums and aquariums pressing in. I only catch glimpses of the creatures as we pass by, but at one point I'm certain I see a huge black spider wandering amongst the cages. I suppress a shudder. This place is just too weird, and I'm starting to miss the controlled chaos of Newt's case.

Slowly, the cages full of beasts begin to taper off, and are replaced with shelves of old antiqued objects, interspersed with the occasional potted plant, and what might be orange mold.

Eventually, Alexios comes to stop in front of a black door with a white sign with the words, "Employees Only" painted on it. I look at Newt with a frantic, "are we really going in there!?" look. He nods, and pats my hand.

"It will be okay, trust me I would never let anything hurt you." He says, and Alexios glances at me in sympathy.

"Look sire—Kaimana. I would never put a fellow creature in harm, nor would Newt," He says, and Newt hums in agreement.

I take a deep breath then nod at Alexios, giving him the okay to open the door. He swings the door open, and a deafening silence follows.

Sitting around a wooden circular table are several witches and wizards playing a card game. As soon as they notice us they call out to greet us various languages, and I wave shyly, leaning against Newt.

"H-hello there." I say, and they all grin at us. Newt's friends are so very strange. I tell him as much, but he just offers me a happy shrug, and steps into the room to greet his old friends. I follow with a sigh, and a small shake of my head.


	11. AN

Hi everyone, sadly this isn't a new chapter. I am just letting you all know that there will not be one this weekend because my grandfather passed away Thursday morning from colon cancer. Grayroze and I have decided that because of this and how hectic our lives are right now, we will be making it so new chapters are published every other week. I hope you all can understand and I just want to say thank you all for how much you all have enjoyed this story so far and hope you still do until the end. /strong/p


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes: Hello everybody! We're back, after a mini-hiatus. Thank you once again for your patience and understanding. We really appreciate the kind comments you left as well. Hope you like the new chapter! \** **(^O^)/**

 **Chapter Eleven**

Kai POV

"Newton Artemis Fido Scamander!" One of the witches announces loudly with a distinct American accent, and marches over to wrap Newt in a tight hug.

"Ah, nice to see you too Clarisse." Newt says, looking mildly alarmed at having his arms pinned to his sides.

"We haven't seen you in ages! Who've you brought with you!" Clarisse asks, turning suddenly to stare at me. I involuntarily take a step back from the witch. She's not very tall, a bit shorter than me, and her long iron gray hair is pulled back into a simple braid, but she had sharp brown eyes that seem to pierce my skin.

"This is Kaimana, she my… er, my friend." Newt replies, tripping over his words a bit. Normally I'd be more upset about the "friend" comment, but at the moment I'm too focused on all the wizards staring at me to properly care.

Clarisse, thankfully, looks away from me to address Newt.

"Really. Your friend." She says dryly, and the tips of Newt's ears turn pink. He's saved from answering when another witch steps into the conversation.

"Nice to meet you, Kaimana." The woman says, and places a calming hand on Clarisse's arm. "I am Nicola, welcome to our shop." She says, with a gentle smile.

Nicola is a willowy witch, with long waves of brown hair that fall past her waist. Her dark brown eyes are warm, and her friendly voice put me instantly at ease.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you too." I say, and shake her hand.

Nicola smiles and pulls out a seat for us. I look at Newt, who blushes and sits down. I smirk and plop down into his lap. I feel him freeze up, and the others at the table laugh a little.

"She's feisty." Clarisse says, and I grin at her.

"Yes." Newt mutters, and wraps an arm around my waist. Behind us, Alexios snorts and pulls up a chair as well.

"What do you expect from a siren?" He says, but his tone is light and teasing.

Immediately, the other wizard who has yet to be introduced looks up from the card game and studies me with a critical eye.

"Are you really?" He asks, and I try not to shift uncomfortably under his scrutiny. Newt pulls me tight against him and rests his chin on my shoulder, no doubt attempting to calm me down.

"Yes." I reply, and his eyes light up with curiosity. The man opens his mouth to ask me something, but Nicola cuts him off.

"This is Dr. Rane, he's our resident potion's master. He studies the potential uses for various ingredients from magical creatures." She explains.

"What do you do?" I ask, interested to know more about these strange wizards.

"I'm a herbologist." Nicola says, with a wry smile.

"What about you?" I ask Clarisse.

"Hmmm. You could say I'm an archeologist. I study ancient magical relics." She answers, and that would definitely explain the shelves full of random objects that we walked past earlier.

"That is very interesting. I was always curious about magical relics before I was imprisoned, but after I was saved I was so busy with Newt and the other creatures I forgot I had that interest." I say, and she grins.

"Well, I could show you some of the things that I have laying around." She says, and I smile a little.

"I would love to take a look at them." I say, and Newt rubs my hip.

"I will make sure to have more relics around the case to so you have things to entertain yourself with," He says, and I kiss his cheek.

"I would enjoy that, love." I say.

Nicola smiles softly.

"I always knew Newt would end up with a pretty creature of his own," She says, and I blush slightly. Newt hums in agreement and presses kiss to my neck. Beside me Alexios rolls his eyes.

"So, Mr. Scamander. What brings you back here after all these years?" Dr. Rane asks suddenly.

"Actually, Alexios asked me to come. He said there was a gang of smugglers running around and the aurors weren't doing anything about them." Newt replies.

"Of course not. They're too busy chasing after us." Clarisse snorts.

"Yes, Alexios mentioned that as well." Newt responds, and I frown.

"Why would they chase you and not the smugglers?" I ask, and Clarisse looks at me.

"They don't understand us, and because of that they see us as a threat. So, they decided that we should be the ones hunted down and not the people doing the real crimes."

"That is ridiculous! If they had just talked with you they would see you all you care about is making sure the creatures are taken care of!" I spit, angry at the aurors and smugglers.

Alexios laughs.

"You're assuming the aurors actually care about the creatures. I promise you, they don't. They care about imprisoning as many "bad" witches as wizards as possible." He says, with an air of disdain.

"But you aren't bad!" I protest.

"Look at it from their point of view. We're a group of wizards who are on the run from the law in our own countries, we're here in this country without the proper paperwork, we brought along countless dangerous magical creatures, plants, and artifacts with us, and we've been here for several years now. To them, we are the bad guys. More so than the other criminals out there capturing and harming magical creatures that no one actually cares about." Alexios points out, leaving me at a loss for words. Maybe it's understandable, but that still doesn't make it right.

"It's alright, Kai. We can't fix everything, but we can at least try and save those poor creatures, right?" Newt says, rubbing my back, and offering me his gentle support. I lean more into him, and nods against his shoulder.

"Yes, they need to be saved," I agree, and they all smile at us.

"So, why did you call him here?" Clarisse asks Alexios, who sighs.

"Well, you know about the smugglers and… I think they have a Thunderbird." He says, and I look at him in confusion. What is a Thunderbird? All of the wizards at the table exchange worried glances.

"Are you sure it's a Thunderbird?" Nicola asks.

"Yes," He says, and they all frown.

"I had heard something in passing, but I never believed it was a Thunderbird." Clarisse says.

"I'm sorry, but what is a Thunderbird?" I interject, and Clarisse turns and grabs a book from a shelf behind her. She flips through it and stops on a page, showing it to me.

I lean forward to see detailed artwork of the magnificent creature and read the description written underneath it. _"_ _The thunderbird is described as having a head that is similar to that of a Hippogriff; they possess multiple powerful wings, with six wings in total. Thunderbird feathers shimmer with cloud-like patterns, and the birds' flapping can create storms as they fly. Thunderbirds can sense danger, and they are closely related to phoenixes."_

I glance up at the small group of wizards standing around me with a look of fierce determination.

"We need to save this creature, and quickly." I say.

"How do you know about this, Alexios?" Newt asks, his arms tightening slightly around my waist.

"When the group first started making trouble I went to check out their operation, and… well. It wasn't pretty. They had dozens of creatures, all injured and malnourished. I only caught a glimpse of the Thunderbird, but I'm certain that's what it was. I knew I couldn't do anything to rescue the other creatures until I got someone who actually knew how to deal with a Thunderbird. That's why I decided to call you." Alexios admits.

"You're not serious?" Clarisse demands, "How could you not tell us about this, Alexios?!"

"I'm sorry. I knew if I told you, you would want to go and try to save it, and I knew we needed Newt's expertise before we did anything." He says, looking guilty.

"It's good that you didn't try to save it yourselves, Thunderbirds can be extremely dangerous, especially if you don't know how to properly care for them. I just hope we're not too late." Newt says, worrying his lip between his teeth.

"Well the we should go as soon as possible, we can't risk this." I announce, standing up and pulling Newt up with me. "Where is the Thunderbird being held? And how do we get there?" I ask, using my most authoritative voice that I usually save for niffler when he's misbehaving.

"It just east of here. I will show you to it." Alexios says, and everyone stands.

"We will save these creatures. Newt, once we do will you take them back with you?" I ask him.

"Of course. Although, it may take a bit of time to set up all their habitats." He says, and I frown a little.

"We will help you." Clarisse says, and the others agree with her.

"Thank you." Newt says, and takes my hand. I look expectantly at Alexios, who sighs and nods.

"Follow me." Alexios says. He leads us out, a chorus of well-wishes from the other wizards following after us.

Alexios leads us back the way we came through the maze of cages until we're standing right back at the beginning, a bright blue owl swinging over my head, and a huge rainbow snake coiled lazily on a rock in the store window.

"Are you ready? Do you have everything you need? This could be really dangerous. You don't have to go." Alexios murmurs anxiously.

"You called me from half-way across the world, it's a little too late to back out. Besides, you know me, I can't walk away from a creature in need." Newt says, giving Alexios a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"I know." The nymph says with a grimace. "Alright, if you're sure."

Alexios holds out his arm, and Newt takes it without hesitation. I take a deep breath and steel myself for whatever may come. Then, without warning, there's a loud snap and we're disapparating out of the little shop.


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes: Haaaay! Would you lookit that, we finished a chapter on time! Now I know what you're all thinking, "I guess this story is okay, but you know what it really needs? More action, suspense, and angst." Well today is your lucky day my friends! Enjoy (^o ͜ o^)**

 **Chapter Twelve**

Newt POV

Alexios drops us off next to a huge warehouse. The moment we arrive Kai stumbles away, holding her stomach and looking pale. I start to move towards her, but she waves me off and forces herself to straighten up.

"I'm fine." She insists quietly.

"Where are we Alexios?" I ask, holding on to Kai's arm to steady her.

"A warehouse a couple miles out of the city. I've been observing this place for several weeks, they always leave around this time, so the warehouse should be empty for a little while. Enough time to rescue the animals, anyway." He replies, glancing around the corner to make sure no one's coming. I really hope he correct with that, because I'm not sure Kai can handle being on land much longer.

"We need to get in and out as fast as possible." Kai says, standing on her own again.

"Exactly," Alexios says. He beckons us forward, and we sneak into the warehouse from a side entrance.

What I see as we step into the building makes my blood boil. Creatures of all sizes and forms, trapped together in cages and close confinements that I know are not healthy for them. Beside me Kai gasps and covers her mouth horrified. Part me wishes I hadn't taken her with me to see this. I never wanted her to witness such horrors.

I wrap my arm protectively over her shoulders, but I know it won't do any good. I can't protect her from everything, no matter how desperately I want to.

"Kai?" I whisper, tilting her head to look at me. "You don't have to do this. Alexios and I can manage on our own. You can go back to the suitcase." I say, gently stroking her face.

All at once the fear bleeds out of her expression, replaced with a determination that makes her gray eyes glow like lightning through thunderclouds.

"No." She says firmly, her gaze flickering to a pair of hippogriffs locked in a cage much too small for them. "I will help them."

"Okay." I sigh, and turn to Alexios. "Where's the Thunderbird?"

"Farthest end of the warehouse." He replies, tensely.

"Right." I nod sharply and hand Kai my suitcase. "You help Alexios get the other creatures in here. I'll go find the Thunderbird and see if I can convince it to come with us. Come and find me once you finish." I say. Kai nods in understanding. I give her a quick peck on the cheek and go in search of the Thunderbird.

I walk to the very back of the warehouse, and there I see it. Tied down by heavy chains is a bleeding and extremely wounded Thunderbird. He catches sight of me and starts squawking angrily. I pause and slowly kneel to the floor, holding my hands out slowly in a placating gesture.

"Shhh, I'm not here to hurt you. I want to save you, and all the other creatures here." I tell him calmly, even though on the inside I am a ball of nerves, wondering how I can possibly earn the creature's trust and get him to safety before the smugglers come back. The Thunderbird looks at me with distrust and fluffs his wings in defense, then whines in pain from the action. I clench my teeth and resist the urge to reach out and reassure the creature. No animal should ever be harmed in such a way.

"Please let me help you. Once you are fully healed, I will take you back home I promise." I say, and he looks at me and I can see in his eyes he wants to believe me. I have to prove to him that I can be trusted. "Alright friend, I'm going to get you out of here. I won't hurt you."

The Thunderbird doesn't move, so I take that as a cue to slowly pull out my wand.

"I'm going to use a spell to break your chains." I explain, so he doesn't freak out when I point my wand at him.

I make short work of the cage's locks, but the chains are a bit trickier, mostly because the Thunderbird starts thrashing around anytime I get close to him.

"Hey, hey! Okay, relax friend! I'm not here to hurt!" I promise, dropping my wand to hopefully promote trust. After I kick my wand away, he stops moving so much, instead fixing me with a suspicious stare. "My name is Newt. I'm a friend, I promise. I will take you home. To America. Yes? Arizona, I believe is where most Thunderbirds live. Would that be okay?" I ask, calmly.

The Thunderbird just continues to stare at me for several tense seconds. Then, slowly, almost reluctantly, he bows his head in a sign of acceptance. I let out a sigh of relief and step forward to gently stroke his beak.

"There we are. I will get you home. I promise. But first, we need to get these chains off." I say, and step away to pick up my wand again.

Just then, an inhuman screech echoes through the warehouse, followed by a shout of warning from Alexios. Adrenaline rushes through my veins in anticipation of a fight. It appears the smugglers are back early.

Kai POV

Everything had been going do well. Alexios and I almost had all of the creatures free and within Newt's suitcase when we heard some movement by the door. Next thing I know, someone is grabbing me from behind, and my first instinct is to let out a warning screech.

"Looks like I caught myself a little bird! Man, is she a beaut too!" The person holding me laughs. I growl and slam my head back, cracking it against my captor's chin.

"Fuck!" The man swears and his hold loosens enough for me to escape. I turn around ready to slam my fist into his ugly face, but something grabs my ankle, dragging me down. My legs are pulled out from under me by an unseen attacker, and I go crashing to the ground, knocking the wind out of me. I manage to keep my head from breaking against the hard ground, but the rest of my body is going to have bruises for a while.

To my right, I hear Alexios shouting and grappling with someone. I spare only a second to worry about my friend, before the person that attacked me crawls on top of me and pins me to the ground.

I grit my teeth and jerk my head back again. There's sickening crack that I seriously hope is their nose and not my skull. Judging by the way my attacker shrieks and releases my arms, I'm guessing it's the former.

With my arm, free I manage to elbow them in the chest and wriggle away, hiding behind a nearby crate. I glance over at Alexios who seems to be holding his own, casting spells like a mad man. As far as I can tell there are only three smugglers; one is unconscious on the floor, one is fighting Alexios, and the other one is sitting on the floor holding his bleeding nose.

A twisted kind of pride rises in my chest. I allow myself a small smile. When I was captured the first time, I didn't have much opportunity to fight back. I will not be such an easy target this time.

I scan the surrounding area for Newt, but either he's been captured (please no), or he's still freeing the Thunderbird. My eye catches on Newt's suitcase, now slightly over-stocked with magical creatures, and lying on the opposite side of the warehouse. I curse myself for being so careless. I must get it back, before one of the smugglers gets their hands on it.

I quickly check my surroundings to make sure no one is paying attention to me. This is my chance! I rush towards the suitcase sliding to my knees and quickly sealing it shut, making sure the creatures are all safe within. Just as I'm about to stand up, I hear someone shout my name. Then suddenly, I'm hit with freezing spell that works its way through my body until I'm completely paralyzed. Damn those wizards and their magic!

"Ha! Thought you could get away, didn't you? Oh? What's that you got there in your hand little missy?" An ugly looking wizard with a ragged scar on his right cheek comes into my view, and all I can do is glare at him.

"Aw, now don't be like that. You know what, I like you so much I think I'm gonna keep you. Once my friends and I take care of your little trouble making friends, that is." He says, grinning me showing of his nasty yellow teeth. How dare he! I am nobody's pet!

I glare harder, wishing I could move so I could rip this disgusting man limb from limb. Instead, I remain petrified as the wizard takes Newt's case, a cruel smile taking over his face as he realizes what it is.

"So, this is where you're hiding the beasties, is it? Very clever." The man says, and I watch in horror as he unlatches the case. Before he can lift the lid however, Newt is behind him, his wand pressed against the man's neck.

"I suggest you leave that suitcase closed, no telling what might come crawling out." Newt says mildly, though his eyes are burning with righteous fury.

The smuggler, wisely, snaps the case shut again.

"That's better." Newt says, and paralyzes the man. A second later, the spell holding me captive falls away and I can move again.

I stand up as fast as I can, flinging myself into his arms.

"Newt!" I whimper, holding on to him like I'll never let go. "I'm so glad you're okay. Where's the Thunderbird? Where's Alexios?"

"Alexios is unconscious, I think he was hit with a stunning spell. The Thunderbird is still chained up, as soon as I heard you guys shouting I ran to help. I got intercepted a few times though. Sorry." He explained. I shake my head and bury my face against his chest.

"Don't be." I murmur.

"Alright! Enough with the lovey-dovey shit! Step away, and drop your wand!" A harsh voice behind us calls out.

I feel Newt tense and immediately drop his wand. I step away from him and look over to see yet another smuggler holding a now-conscious Alexios, hostage. Our newest enemy is a woman; tall, powerfully built, and armed to the teeth, judging by all the knives strapped to her belt.

She's holding a long, serrated knife to Alexios' throat and glaring at us as though we are nothing more than a mere annoyance to her. Surrounding her is a whole entourage of smugglers, all watching the scene with smug enjoyment.

"What's the big idea, huh? Trying to sabotage my operation here? Well next time, maybe bring more people." The woman sneers.

"Newt, what do we do?" I whisper, desperately hoping my wizard has a plan, but when I glance over at him he's pale, and his gentle blue eyes are full of an emotion I've never seen in him before. Fear.


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes: Hello! We're finally posting a new chapter, but it's a bit shorter than usual, sorry friends. Also cliffhangers. Not sorry. \\(^o^)/**

 **Chapter Thirteen**

Kai POV

The smugglers work quickly and efficiently to strip us of our weapons. One man takes Newt's wand and snaps it effortlessly in half with his bare hands. Newt flinches, but doesn't make a sound.

The man sneers at Newt, showing off his unnaturally sharpened teeth. _Werewolf_ , my mind helpfully supplies. I don't know why I know that, but I decide to trust my instincts.

"You smell strange." The werewolf growls, turning to me. "Like fish."

I swallow thickly and hold his gaze, desperately hoping he's not smart enough to put the pieces together. He narrows his eyes at me suspiciously, but doesn't comment further. Instead, he holds out his hand expectantly.

"Wand." He orders.

"I- I don't have one." I stammer. He growls again, and forcibly starts searching me.

"I told you I don't have one!" I snap at him when his hands wander too close to my chest. Newt glares at him, and steps forward menacingly, but gets yanked back by one of the other smugglers.

"She doesn't have one. What kind of wizard doesn't have a wand?" The werewolf wonders, more to his buddies than to me.

"Either one that has something to hide, or one that isn't really a witch," The smuggler with the scar says, glaring at me with suspicion. I cringe, but it goes unnoticed by the others.

"Look, she lost it okay! Leave her alone." Alexios snaps weakly, still looking pale from being hit with multiple stunning spells. The smugglers turn their ugly gazes on him. I shoot him a grateful look, and he returns it with a small nod.

"Lost it, huh? I don't believe it. _Revelio!_ " The scarred smuggler hurls the spell at me.

I yelp as the spell hits my skin, burning like fire. For a panicked second I think the spell will reveal my tail, but eventually the burning sensation stops and I'm still standing on two legs.

The smugglers glare and grumble, before one of them grabs my arm and hauls me towards one of the large metal cages designed for holding hippogriffs. A cage. God, not another cage. Not again.

They toss me and Alexios into the same cell, throwing Newt into the one next to us and locking the doors. I can already feel the walls pressing in on me. I can taste the stale water, and feel the aching scales lurking beneath my human exterior. Not again. They'll find out. They'll put me in a tank and torture me. They'll sell me like they do all the other animals. They'll tear out my scales one by one, and sell them for potion ingredients.

Already, the warm, happy memories of Newt's suitcase are fading away, like a pleasant dream giving way to a cruel reality. This is where I was for thirty years, and this is where I'm destined to be for the rest of my life.

I curl in on myself, desperate to hide from the world. Distantly, I can hear someone yelling at me, but I don't acknowledge them. Then, suddenly, something strikes my face, a hot pain spreading across my cheek. I jerk away, and my mind clears enough for me to lash out at my attacker.

"KAI! Stop it!" The person shouts at me, grabbing my hands to keep me from hitting them. "Kai! Newt needs your help, stop hitting me dammit!"

Newt. Newt needs me. I gasp and stop moving.

"Thank you." The person says, loosening their grip on my arms. "Kai? You with me? It's Alexios. Remember?"

Yes, yes, I remember. I slowly nod, and he sighs in relief.

"Good, gave me fright just then," He says, and I look at over at Newt. He's staring at his suitcase with the most heartbreaking look I've ever seen. I crawl closer to him, and stretch my hand out towards him.

"Newt?" I say softly, and he glances over at me. He moves closer to stretch his hands through the bars, linking out fingers together.

"I am so sorry I got us in this mess." He says, and my chest aches at his defeated tone.

"This is not your fault! We will get out of here! I won't let this happen! Not again." I promise. I look over at the smugglers and see them struggling to get Newts suitcase open. NO! They can't do that! I need to think of something that will distract them, to make them leave the case alone.

Have to stop them, have to stop them, have to help Newt. I shake my head to dislodge the panic creeping at the edges of my mind. Stop! This is not like before, now I have Newt and Alexios. I'm not alone.

And I'm not helpless.

I take a deep breath to prepare myself. Alexios is watching me with concern, but I try to put it out of my mind. I hum a few chords to myself, warming up. I haven't done this in what feels like eternity, and I have no idea if I'm still even capable of it, but now is not the time for doubts. I clear my throat loudly, effectively capturing the attention of everyone nearby.

I open my mouth. And I sing.

Newt POV

I clutch the bars of the cage, tight enough that the sharp edges dig into my hands and leave deep gouges. My creatures. My babies. They're going to hurt them, and sell them, and tear them apart. All for their own selfish gain. My stomach roils at the thought. How can people be that cruel?

My eyes are fixated on the suitcase, and the wizards trying to rip it open. I hope it will hold out, a just a little longer. I glance around, desperately trying to come up with a way to escape, to save my creatures. They took my wand and Alexios', and the only thing in this cage is straw. Maybe I could use it to pick the lock?

I'm seriously considering trying, but then the warehouse is filled with an ethereal voice.

Where is that coming from? I glance around in confusion, and then my land on Kai. She-she's singing? She sounds amazing.

Alexios' POV

How could this have happened? It was such a simple job. Save the creatures and get out. How did we miss the smugglers coming back? This is all my fault. I'm the one that called them here to help. I watch Kai anxiously. She was about to lose it few minutes ago, she needs to get out of here as soon as possible. I have to get them out of here safely. But how?

Suddenly Kai starts humming to herself. What is she doing? Oh dear, she's lost it. What am I supposed to do? I need at least one functioning friend to help us escape, and Newt doesn't seem to be doing better any than Kai.

Then she starts singing, and I can only stare in wonder. Is this the beauty of a true sirens call?

It's stunning. Her song is slow and sad, and I can feel my heart breaking just listening to it. I look around the room and everyone else is staring at her in fascination, unable to look away. Newt also has an empty, dreamy look on his face, almost like he's under the Imperious Curse. I'm immensely glad I'm a nymph and her song doesn't work on me, because if I were human, she could undoubtedly control me with ease. As it is the song is hypnotic, making my mind feel fuzzy and sleepy if I focus on it too much. It seems our siren friend is even more deadly than she would have us think.

Kai POV

As I sing, everyone in the warehouse turns to stare at me with wide, vacant eyes. It's extremely creepy. And yet, it's empowering. I can do this. I can take control of everyone here, I can turn these powerful witches and wizards into hollow shells with just my voice. A dark, cruel type of pleasure curls in my stomach. I will no longer be their pet, their slave, their lab experiment, their prize. Now, they will be mine.

Alexios' POV

Something isn't right. Kai is still singing, but for some reason the tune is different, sinister somehow. I study her closely, and she's staring intently at the smuggler that has Newt's case. He's staring back at her with a glazed look in his eyes. Slowly, he brings the case over to her and unlocks our cage door. She stands up, watching him with a mad spark in her eyes as her song gets even creepier. The smuggler takes his wand out and brings it up to his temple. What is she doing?

"KAI NO!"


	15. Chapter 14

**Notes: Hey guys, sorry for the late update, end of the semester is getting crazy. Thanks for your patience, and enjoy!**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

Kai POV

As I sing the smuggler brings his wand up to his head, a blank look in his eyes and a blissful smile in his face. Distantly I hear someone shout my name, but I don't acknowledge them.

The smuggler's wand touches his temple, and he murmurs one of the few spells I know.

" _Obliviate."_ There is a small burst of white light and the man collapses.

I don't stop singing, but I do pause to admire my work before moving on to the next wizard.

"Kai, stop!" Reluctantly, I turn towards the voice and see Newt watching me with horror. Why is he giving me that look? I'm doing this to save him. Does he not see that I'm saving all of us? They can't hurt me, or any other creature again. I glare at him, and he flinches.

I stop singing for a moment, and Newt slumps in relief. His voice is thin and his eyes are glassy as he tries to shake off the enchantment enough to talk to me.

"Kai don't do this. Please, please, if you do this you can't undo it. Please. Don't become a monster." He pleads, and I tilt my head.

Monster!? I am not the monster here, they are. These wizards… they're the ones torturing innocent creatures. How can he defend them? How can he place these cruel wizard's safety above the safety of the beasts he claims to love?

"Kai. You don't need to hurt them. Just put them to sleep and we'll collect the creatures and get out of here. Okay?" Newt asks desperately.

"And let them go free? So they can capture more beasts and hurt them? No. I won't let that happen." I growl, and open my mouth to sing again.

"KAI PLEASE!" Newt screams, clutching the bars of his cage tightly, tears streaking down his face. "This isn't you! Kai, you would never hurt anyone, I know you wouldn't! This isn't you, you're a good person, Kai!" He insists.

I give him a cold smile.

"That's where you're wrong, Newt. I'm not a person. I'm a siren."

I turn away from Newt, back to the other wizards who are just coming out of their dazes, and I hum a low melody. Simultaneously, the smugglers pull out their wands and hold them up to their heads.

 _"_ _Obliviate."_ The spell rises through the air, as it is cast dozens of times. There's flashes of white light, and then there's intense pain and the world goes dark.

When I wake up I'm no longer at the warehouse. I'm strapped to a chair, gagged, and sitting in what seems to be the backroom of Alexios' shop. What happened? Where's Newt, and why am I tied to this chair? I look up and see Clarisse sitting at a corner table flipping through some old books.

"Mmm!" I try talking to her, but I can't because of the gag. Why am I even gagged? Clarisse looks at me, and stands up.

"Finally awake I see." She says, watching me with distrust. I frown and try to look at around. Where is Newt?

Clarisse must notice, because she gestures to the door.

"Newt is taking care of the creatures. The thunderbird is causing a bit of a trouble. I will go get him," She walks out of the door, and I am left alone.

I don't understand, why am I being treated like this? I thought they liked me. Why would Newt let them treat me like this?

A few minutes later Alexios opens the door and steps into the room. I sit up straighter and try to catch his eye to figure out what's going on, but he keeps his gaze firmly on the ground as he takes Clarisse's now unoccupied seat.

"Mmph! Mwm!" I try to talk around the cloth in my mouth. What is going on?

"Why did you do it Kai?" He asks suddenly, looking up to glare at me. I go still, trying to think what he might be talking about.

The warehouse. We were at the warehouse saving the creatures. Slowly, the memories come back, hazy and unfocused, with an almost dreamlike quality. The gag in my mouth suddenly makes much more sense.

"Newt doesn't want to talk to you right now." He tells me, in his usual matter-of-fact way. I start making more muffled sounds, and Alexios walks over to tug away the gag.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry! Please, let me talk to Newt, I—"

"Stop. Newt doesn't want to talk to you, and frankly, I don't blame him. What you did was cruel, and unnecessary."

"Alexios, you don't understand. When I was—When I was singing… it's hard to control yourself. It's seductive, not just to the people listening. Having that much power at your disposal… It makes it hard to think." I explain desperately. He studies me with a detached coldness.

"I know exactly what that's like, Kai. You think you're special? You're not. You forget, we're wizards, we have unlimited power at our fingertips. Of course we're tempted by it, we just make the decision not to succumb to it. That's the difference between good wizards and dark wizards." He says bluntly.

"But I'm a siren. I'm a monster, Alexios. I don't have a choice." I mutter bitterly.

"Shut up!" Alexios snaps, whirling away from me. "Everyone has a choice! You're a rational, sentient being, are you not? You have thoughts and feelings, and strengths and weaknesses! So, you have a weakness for power, so what?! So do wizards, hell, so do muggles! Don't use that "inherent evil" nonsense on me, Kai. Of course you have a choice!" He spits, pacing back and forth agitatedly as he speaks.

I grit my teeth and instinctive anger rises in my throat in response to his accusations.

"No, I don't! I remember, Alexios! I remember from before, before I met Newt, before I was captured! Only bits and pieces, but when I started singing again I remembered what it was like before! I remember the high that comes from tearing down ships, from controlling people, from taking what I want and leaving destruction behind! How can I come back from that?! How can I come back from what I _just_ did? I made my choice long ago." I say, and I don't realize I'm crying until I taste the salt of tears on my lips.

Alexios stands halfway across the room, watching me with something akin to pity.

"It's never too late to change, Kai. You can still choose not to be a monster. You can choose to be human." He says softly, and slips out the door, leaving me alone once more.

By the time someone comes back, my neck aches and my hands have lost their circulation. When the door opens, I'm expecting it to be Alexios again, but to my surprise it's Newt.

I stare at him in silence as he walks over to me. He stops and stands a few feet away, his gaze firmly fixed on the ground. Hesitantly, I open my mouth to speak, but Newt holds up a hand and I remain quiet.

"I'm doing the talking." He says, and I nod in acceptance. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry Kai. I'm sorry I put you in such a dangerous position, I'm sorry you were put in another cage, even though I promised it would never happen to you again. I'm sorry. But Kai…I don't trust you."

He says it quietly, almost like he wants to soften the blow, but even so, I barely keep from flinching at his words.

"I trust you not to hurt me. Even when you were… controlling everyone else, you didn't try to control me. I trust you not to hurt my creatures, I know you love them. But I don't trust you around anyone else." He tells me, his voice strangely empty.

I want so desperately to apologize, to beg his forgiveness, but he told me not to speak, and I doubt he would want to hear it anyway.

"We're going to America." He says abruptly, and I look up at him in bewilderment, completely thrown by the change in subject. "Technically, we're going to New York, but then we'll go to Arizona to drop off the Thunderbird. After that, I'll take you to Hawaii. Sorry you'll have to wait, but the Thunderbird needs to get home as soon as possible. Don't worry though, it should only take a few months." Newt explains, and my heart grows colder and colder as he talks.

That's it then. After we take the thunderbird home, he's done with me. He no longer wants a monster like me. I've messed it all up, and there is nothing I can do. I look down at my lap, and let my tears fall silently. I thought he truly cared for me, but I guess he cared for the creature not the monster.

"I'm sorry to do this Kai." He says, much quieter this time. "I'm sorry this happened, that I put you in such a difficult position, and I'm sorry I can't trust you anymore. I want to forgive you and believe you won't do that again, I just—I can't stop replaying it over and over in my head. I begged you to stop and you didn't. Why?" He looks at me this time, his eyes deep blue and full of hurt.

I think back to when he first found me. He was gentle and kind, and his blue eyes were warm and understanding, and I wonder how we got to this point. How did I mess up so incredibly that now he's watching me with suspicion and fear? How could I have done that to him?

"Newt… I'm sorry. I really, truly am. I just… lost touch with who I was. Who I want to be. I'm sorry I did that. I know I hurt you, and I know I can't change what I did, but I can promise I won't do it again. I don't expect you to believe me, but I promise, and I'll spend an eternity proving it to you, if that's what it takes." I whisper, and I mean it; from the depths of my soul, I know I will keep that promise, if only to see Newt smile at me with the warmth and kindness that he once did.

Newt's POV

How did everything go from good to bad so quickly? One minute we were saving creatures, holding hands and being happy, and the next we were here. Me, standing over Kai, telling her I don't trust her anymore, and her, tied to a chair, making promises I can no longer believe.

I want to. I want so desperately to believe that the Kai I know is still here, that she hasn't been consumed by a lust for power, but all I see when I look at her now is the cruel, calculated look in her eyes as she ruthlessly tears people's memories from their minds.

I want to believe her, but I can't suffer through that again. So, I distance myself. I try to avoid looking at her, to avoid showing any kind of hurt or sympathy towards her. I should never have let her get so close, it's just better to stick to my creatures, who can't talk and make things complicated.

"Right." I murmur in response to her empty promises, and step away. "We're leaving in a few hours, I just have to pack up the creatures and make sure the Thunderbird will be alright."

Kai nods, her lovely gray eyes looking bloodshot and watery, and it makes my chest ache. Then I remember what they looked like when she sang, vicious and black as the sea in a raging storm, and I push aside the feeling.

I walk to the door to leave, before pausing against my better judgment to look back at her.

"Kai…" I start, and she glances up at me. "I'm holding you to that promise." I say, and exit quickly, too scared to stay and watch the spark of hope light up in her eyes.


	16. Chapter 15

**Notes: Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but thank you for you patience and all the passionate comments. It's always nice to get feedback from readers telling us we're horrible people :) Now, just so you all know, we are almost done with this story! There are about 2-3 chapters left, and then we'll post a series of one shots that will be sort of like mini-epilogues. Thanks for sticking with us, and enjoy!**

 **Chapter Fifteen**

Newt's POV

After I leave the room, Nicola is there with her arms crossed with a frown on her face.

"What the hell do you think you are doing, Newt Scamander!" She snaps at me.

I stare at her in shock because Nicola rarely gets upset with me. In fact, I can't recall a time she's ever been upset with me.

"What have I done wrong?" I ask her, and she shakes her head with disbelief.

"What do you mean, what have you done wrong!? Kaimana does not deserve this kind of treatment! She has does nothing wrong, and you know it! She made a few illegal smugglers that were harming innocent creatures and selling them amongst the black market forget their memories! So what! Wizards do that all the time to muggles! Merlin, even you've done it! I have seen you do it with my own two eyes! So why are you treating Kai like she is some kind of horrible monster? How is she ever supposed to trust wizards and witches again, when every time she does something that's within her nature they punish her, and treat her like she's this evil creature that doesn't deserve to be alive?!" Nicola snaps at me. I stumble away from the angry witch and fall to my knees.

"You of all people should know that creatures are dangerous when they feel threatened. If I was in Kai in that warehouse I would have done the same exact thing! No, I would have done worse to those horrible men! They were going to kill you all, and do worse to the poor creatures. Kaimana saved you, Alexios, and those creatures, but instead of thanking her you gag her and tie her to a chair! Then you have the nerve to tell her she can never be trusted to be around people again? What is wrong with you? How can you do that to someone you care about? Did you even bother to ask Kai what she was feeling, or hear her out at all?" Nicola finally stops yelling, and all I can do is stare at her through the blurry tears I'm not bothering to hide.

"You—you weren't there. You didn't see her, Nicola. She was out of control, she could have killed someone!" I choke out.

"But she didn't, Newt. She didn't kill anyone. She was more in control than you give her credit for. Just admit that you forgot she was a siren, and you're scared of her power." Nicola snaps, her usually kind eyes narrowed with fury. "I thought you loved and accepted all creatures, regardless of their dangerous natures. I thought you were better than this, Newt Scamander."

I hang my head and stare at the wooden floorboards. I don't know if she's right. Maybe I was too harsh with Kai. But how can I trust that she won't go around killing people at her whim? I look up at Nicola in desperation and ask her just that. She shakes her head and watches me with a sad, disappointed gaze.

"Newt, you knew that she was a siren when you saved her, and you knew of her power. We've dealt with stronger and more powerful creatures before, and that never stopped you. You are covered in scars from creatures that have hurt you, but you never once turned your back on them. So why now? Why have you given up on Kai when all she did was try to save you? Tell me this: when she attacked those smugglers, what had they done to you?" She asks me, and I look down at my hands.

"They took my suit case and had us all locked in cages," I murmur.

"So, she was trying to protect the man she loves, and the creatures he holds most dear. Newt, has Kai ever sung to you before?" She asks, and I shake my head no.

"When I first found her, she had lost her voice, and we only just recently fixed it." I tell Nicola, and she frowns.

"I'm guessing having not sung in so long on top of the stress of what was happening was just too much for her." Nicola says, and I stare at her, dumbfounded. Oh Merin, what have I done? I never even thought about Kai, or how she felt. How could I treat her this way? Didn't we just tell her how aurors and smugglers refuse to see past the dangerous natures of magical creatures? I am no better than them.

"How do I fix this, Nicola?" I ask, putting my head in my hands. The witch sighs and sinks down to the floor to sit beside me.

"Newt, I know this is uncharted territory for you, and I know that you're scared, but… isn't she worth it? Isn't it worth fighting for her?" She asks, gently.

"I don't know. I just don't know anymore. I thought I knew her. But I'm not sure now. I never thought she could be capable of…" I trail off, and Nicola sighs.

"You thought she was amazing and perfect and now you know she's not, you feel upset and betrayed." She summed up, frowning disdainfully. I grimace and nod.

"I really do blind myself when it comes to creatures don't I?" I ask rhetorically. Nicola hums thoughtfully.

"Yes, and it didn't help when she's a beautiful one at that. However, even creatures have flaws," She says, and I rub my forehead wearily. She's right. Of course, she's right.

"What do I do? I don't want Kai to hate me." I say desperately.

"First off, you are going to untie her and make sure she doesn't have any injuries. Then, you are going into the suitcase where you both feel more comfortable, and then you are going to talk. And I mean really talk. Talk about what happened, about your feelings for each other, and about what you really want from each other, because I have a sneaking suspicion that you two never did that." Nicola says drily.

"Okay. Yes, you're right. I'll go talk to her." I concede, and Nicola gives me a wide smile.

"Good." She says, and leans forward to give me a kiss on the cheek. "Take care of her, Newt Scamander. I wish you luck."

"Thank you, Nicola." I give her a grateful smile and stand up to go get Kai.

I walk through the store to the back room, trying to ignore the anxiety roiling in my stomach. When I open the door, Kai is exactly where I left her. Her arms are strained from being tied tightly behind her back, and her head hangs forward, letting her black hair fall in front of her face like a curtain. She doesn't look up when I enter room. I step closer to her slowly, like I would with a scared or wounded animal.

"Kai?" I ask softly, my voice shaking slightly. She flinches, a clear indication that she's awake, but she doesn't look up.

"Are we leaving now?" She asks, and my heart breaks at the defeated tone in her voice. How could I have done this to her? I caused her so much pain, just because I was scared and it didn't occur to me that she might be too.

"Not yet Kai. I would like for us to go back to my suitcase and talk to each other, because I think we need to work some things out first." I say, slowly untying the ropes around her wrists. I notice she has dark red markings from where someone had tied too tightly. I cringe and skim my fingers over the bruises. She finally looks up at me, and it takes a huge amount of willpower not to start crying. Her eyes look dark and broken, like they will never be happy again.

I swallow thickly and gently coax her to stand up. She follows obediently as I lead her back to the suitcase. It suddenly occurs to me how long she's been out of the water, and I'm hit with yet another wave of guilt. I wrap my fingers loosely around her wrist, pulling her into the suitcase and back to her pond.

Kai slides gratefully into the water, instantly looking stronger and more relaxed. I fold my legs beneath me and settle by the edge of the water, remaining silent as she swims. I stare down at my hands, clasped tightly in my lap. How do I begin to fix this?

I trail my fingers in the water to get Kai's attention, gesturing for her to come closer. She does, but very, very reluctantly. Her head peeks out of the water, and I watch her sadly.

"Please come closer, I won't hurt you Kai." I promise. She moves closer, still looking at me with those haunted eyes.

"I am sorry about how we treated you. You were saving us and the creatures, and we treated you like a monster, as though we ourselves haven't done worse. I am so, so sorry Kai. I should have listened to your side of the story." I tell her, and a tear falls onto my lap.

Kai frowns and swims to the edge of the pond. She holds out her hand, and at first I think she's going to touch me, but then Pickett walks across my arm onto her out stretched hand. Part of me is relieved to see it; if Pickett's comfortable with her that must mean he truly believes she isn't a threat.

"Kai, please talk to me," I plead, and she glances up at me as she pets Pickett.

"How could you ever think I could hurt you or anyone else? Yes, I made those evil wizards lose their memories, but they were going to kill you Newt. They were going to hurt your creatures! How could I sit back and let that happen when I have the power to stop it? I admit, I lost control, but did I even once direct my powers towards you or Alexios?" She asks me, her voice tight with anger and hurt.

"No, you never used your powers against me." I say softly. Kai clenches her jaw and turns away, cuddling Pickett to her chest.

"I would never hurt you, Newt." She whispers, and moves away. She sets Pickett on her shoulder and floats listlessly in the water. I sigh, trying to come up with something to say to make her forgive me. But then, how can she trust me if I don't completely trust her? Maybe we should start doing trust falls.

"Kai? I'm sorry, okay. I don't know what you want... I don't understand you, but I'm trying, I promise. We're going to be living together in this suitcase for at least a few more months, we need to learn to get along." I plead with her. She frowns and swims over to me again.

"You need to understand that yes, I am a siren, but I am also an intelligent person. I have control over myself, and you need to learn to see me as _me_. Not just some creature, and not just another one of you wizards, because I am neither. I am Kaimana, and that is all I'll ever be." She snarls.

I stare at her, dumbfounded. She's right. At first, I only saw her as a creature, and then once she got her legs I forgot that she wasn't just human like me.

"You're right. I need to learn to see you as who you are. Just Kaimana, and nothing else. I promise I will try my hardest." I promise her.

A flicker of emotion shines through in her eyes, and she nods. She hands back Pickett, and he pats my hand. I smile down at him.

"That is all I can ask for I guess. However, I think you and I need some time to think before we speak again. Please tell the others goodbye from me," Kai says, then swims to the very bottom of the pond.

I just sigh and stand up. I guess we made a little improvement. I turn and make my way up to the ladder, glancing back once at Kai's pond to see her watching me with an unfathomable gaze that disappear quickly.

I shake my head and exit the suitcase, snapping it shut once I'm back at the shop. I take a second to compose myself, putting on a calm façade that contradicts how I really feel. With one last deep, fortifying breath, I go in search of my friends.

I find them grouped together in the front of the store arguing. Well, actually Nicola and Alexios are arguing, Clarisse is standing by watching them with amusement. I approach cautiously, not at all keen to be on the receiving end on Nicola's wrath again today.

"—don't care Nicola! She's dangerous! Who's to say she won't snap and kill us all!" Alexios is saying as Nicola glares daggers at him, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

"She will not! She isn't crazy, Alexios! She acted the way any creature would if they felt threatened! And she didn't kill anyone!" She snaps, cutting him off.

"But she's not a creature! She is a sentient being, capable of making rational decisions!" Alexios shoots back.

"Of course, she's a creature! She's not like you Alexios, she's not part human. She is a magical creature, even if she seems human." I snap at him. "And it was foolish of us to treat her that way." Nicola looks over at me with something like pride, and smiles a little.

"I am glad you have realized that Newt," She says. I offer her a tired smile and run a hand through my hair.

"Actually, it took Kai pointing it out to me for me to finally understand," I say, and glance at Alexios. He looks really mad, but also slightly conflicted.

"I know how you feel, but she didn't kill anyone." I tell him, and he groans.

"Look she scared me okay! I couldn't do anything, and I didn't know if she was going after us or them. Nymphs instinctively distrust sirens, and for good reason." He says defensively, and Clarisse smirks at him.

"Kind of like how Kai instinctively uses her siren powers when she was in a dangerous situation?" She points out, and Alexios looks down at his feet.

"Yeah, kind of like that." He mumbles, frowning deeply.

Nicola grins triumphantly and I try not to smile.

"Well, as nice as it was seeing you all again, I'm afraid I have to be off again." I announce, changing the subject before they started arguing again. I truly do wish I could stay longer, but the sooner we get to America the better, I think. Nicola makes a distressed noise and suddenly pulls me into a hug.

"Aww, it was good to see you too, Newt. Don't be a stranger, okay? Promise you'll visit again?" She asks.

"Of course." I say, and pat her gently on the back.

"Wait, Newt. Before you leave for America, I think—I think there's something else you need to see." Clarisse interjects, looking uncharacteristically worried. I frown and step away from Nicola.

"What's happened?" I ask. Clarisse bites her lip, and pulls out a note from her pocket.

"This just came to me the other day… it's bad." She says, and hands me the note. As I read it, the bottom drops out of my stomach.

"An Obscurus? In Sudan? Are they absolutely positive that's what it is?" I ask, panic creeping into my voice. Clarisse nods gravely.

"How can that be?! There hasn't been a sighting in years!" Alexios protests.

"I don't know. One of my friends who lives there says their village keeps getting attacked by a "powerful dark force". The muggles are freaking out, they don't know what to do. The local wizards are pretty sure it's an Obscurus, but they have no idea where it's coming from." Clarisse explains, looking pale and distressed.

"What do you want me to do?" I ask, "I've never seen an Obscurus before, and there's very little documented about them."

"I know, but Newt… If anyone can do something it's you." She says, and I shake my head.

"But you know I couldn't do anything! There's no way to stop it! All you could do is find the host and—" I stop speaking, fighting back the bile that suddenly rises in my throat.

"No, I'm not saying that, Newt. All I'm saying is that if anyone can find a way to save the host, it would be you." Clarisse says. I take a shaky breath.

"I-I will see what I can do but I don't know if I will be any help. I've never dealt with anything like this before." I tell them, but Clarisse tries to smile reassuringly. It doesn't quite work.

"I have faith in you. Keep me informed on everything okay?" She says, and I nod. I give them all hugs, and Alexios offers me a weak smile.

"Will you tell Kai I'm sorry?" He asks.

"Of course." I promise. "She wanted me to tell you all goodbye, and that she is truly sorry."

"There is nothing to be sorry for, but tell her we will miss her." Nicola says, and I grab my case.

How am I going to explain this to Kai? Yet another side journey, one that will likely end very, very badly. I bite the inside of mu cheek and give everyone a slightly forced grin.

"I'll see you guys soon. Take care of yourselves, and try not to get caught by any aurors, yeah?" I say. Nicola laughs.

"We'll do our best. Take care of Kai, I hope it all works out for you." She adds, with a gentle smile.

"Me too. Goodbye everyone." I nod once to my friends before disapparating with a twist, wondering when, or if, I'll get to see them again.


	17. Chapter 16

**Notes: Hello friends! Guess what! We have a new chapter already! It's amazing, I know. We're almost done with the story now, Lily and I have determined there will be about two more chapters, plus the epilogues. Thanks for sticking with us! Enjoy :)**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

Kai POV

I barely leave the pond for three days. Newt comes by here and there to make sure I have food, but he seems to be very distracted, rushing back and forth to care for his creatures, before leaving the suitcase again. He hasn't told me much, only that we're travelling again. Looking for something, probably another creature. I hear him mutter to himself occasionally, something about obtuses, or obscures, or obstacles? Something like that.

He won't tell me what it is, or where we're going, only that he might need my help. I suppose that means we aren't going to America just yet. A part of me is relieved, though I don't know exactly why. Still, it is a testament to how broken our friendship is that he refuses to tell me anything.

I'm swimming around in circles, nursing my irritation at Newt for keeping me in the dark, when all of a sudden, he comes rushing over to my pond, almost falling in when he stumbles to a stop.

"Kai! Need you to come with me!" He pants, his hair a wild mess and his face flushed with exertion.

"What's going on?! Newt, what's happening?" I ask, alarmed.

"Just! No time! Come on!" He urges, and rushes back to the workshop. I curse and clamber out of the water after him.

"Newt! Wait!" I struggle to get out of the water, and glare at his receding back. "Newt!"

"Oh! Sorry!" He turns around and runs back over to help me. I roll my eyes.

"What. Is. Happening?" I demand.

"I told you! It's an Obscurus!" Newt says, looking very distressed. I sigh and grab on to his arm to make him calm down for a moment.

"Newt, you didn't explain anything. I don't know where we are, or what we are doing. And what the hell is an Obscurus?" I ask, with rather admirable patience.

"I—I thought I told you?" Newt looks genuinely surprised. "Or maybe that was niffler…" He mutters.

"Newt. Explain, please."

"Oh, right. We're in Sudan. Before I left, Clarisse gave me a note she received from a friend of hers. It said there's an Obscurus somewhere in this village that's been killing people, and she asked me to help."

"Can you? What's an Obscurus? Is it a creature?" I ask.

"No, it is something much more dangerous than any creature I have ever come across. See, before wizards went underground, when they were still hunted by muggles, young witches and wizards sometimes suppressed their magic to avoid persecution. Instead of learning to control their powers, they developed what's called an Obscurus. It's a powerful, uncontrollable dark force that busts out and attacks, and then vanishes."

"That's awful. How do you get rid of them?" I ask.

"You can't." Newt says quietly. "Obscurus' only develop in young children. It eats away at their life force, and it doesn't stop until the host dies."

"How long can they survive?" I ask, gravely.

"There's never been a documented case of one living past the age of ten." He says, and I can see him blink back tears. Those poor children, how could something so horrible happen to them? They don't deserve that. I reach out to comfort him, but then think better of it and retract my hand.

"So, what's happened?" I ask.

"The Obscurus has started attacking again, but I don't know what child is causing it. I need your help Kai, before someone else dies." He says, and I nod.

"I will do whatever I can to save that child." I tell him. Newt takes a deep breath and stands up, offering me a hand. Together we leave the suitcase, to save yet another innocent creature from harm.

When we make it out of the case, the first thing we hear is children crying as their parents try to comfort them. The village is in shambles, roofs torn off huts, trees collapsed, with their branches scattered across the ground, and clouds of dust thick in the air. Newt starts looking around, presumably for any children that seem to be showing signs of an Obscurus.

As he's investigating, I notice movement behind one of the destroyed huts. I cautiously make my way over, and there, hidden behind the destroyed home is a little girl with a sinister black dust swarming around her. I slowly crouch down beside her.

"Hello." I say, as calmly as I can. I suspect this girl is the one we are looking for, and when she looks up at me with swirling black eyes, I'm certain. I smile gently, hoping to ease her fear. I need to let Newt know, but I also don't want to startle her and make her run away, or worse, have her attack again. I know just the thing. I inhale deeply and start to sing. It's a familiar lullaby, though I couldn't say why it seems so familiar to me.

The girl watches me warily, but she doesn't run. As I sing, the dust around her seems to settle, and her eyes shift to a more human-looking dark brown. I don't stop singing, even when Newt comes to crouch beside me. The girl's eyes flicker to him briefly, then return to me. I tense up slightly when I feel his eyes on me as well, but I ignore it, focusing only on the melody.

Eventually, my song comes to an end, and the little girl is calm, slowly inching closer to me. I hold out my hands for her, and she immediately climbs into my lap. I pat her head, and look over at Newt. He is watching me with wonder, but also a bit of pride.

"What should we do?" I ask Newt quietly.

"Let's take her to the case, for now." He says, and I agree. I stand up, making sure to not disturb the girl in my arms as I do so. She flinches once, but then settles back down with a sigh. We walk back to where his suitcase is, careful not draw attention from the locals, though they are too busy trying to repair the damage to their village to notice us.

"I will go in first, and then you can hand her down to me if she allows it," Newt says, opening his case.

"Okay, but if she doesn't want to leave me, I can get her down the ladder myself."

Newt steps into the case, and I cautiously hand him the girl, giving her a reassuring smile as I do so. She doesn't seem to object when Newt carries her down, but she still turns her head to make sure I don't leave her field of view. As soon as I am on the ground, she reaches for me and I take her hand. Newt grabs a blanket off his bed, and wraps it around her.

"Newt, is there a way for us to be able to understand each other?" I ask him, and he nods.

"There is a spell that can translate what we say to her," He says, and then mutters the spell, moving his wand in an 's' shape as he does. The girl watches him with interest, then turns to me.

"Hello darling," I say, and her eyes widen.

"You speak like me!" she says, surprised, but excited.

"Yes. I'm Kai. What's your name?" I ask her.

"Saja." She tells me, with a small smile.

"Nice to meet you, Saja. Oh, and this is Newt." I say, gesturing to the wizard hovering over us anxiously. Saja eyes Newt warily, but she doesn't run away or freak out, so I count it as a win.

'Would you like to look around?" I ask her, and she nods. I lead her out of the workshop and into the rest of the suitcase, where Newt's various creatures are roaming around. I'm a bit apprehensive about showing her the creatures, but for some reason I think she needs to see them.

Newt follows us closely, though he doesn't try to stop us, so I imagine he doesn't think the creatures will hurt her. Or vice versa. And indeed, as soon as we step into the habitats, Saja's eyes grow wide with wonder. She doesn't look scared or upset as she watches the graphorns run by, leaving trails of dust in their wake.

"What are they?" She asks me.

"Those are graphorns." I reply.

"What are those?" She asks, pointing to the moon calves, bouncing around happily on their grassy hill.

"Those are moon calves." I say.

"What are those?" She asks, now pointing at a bright pink colored owl creature. I frown, because I don't remember what those are called, and look to Newt for guidance.

"That's a fwooper." He supplies, helpfully.

"It's pink!" Saja giggles with delight.

"Yes, yes, it is." I laugh.

"What's that?" She asks again, pointing to the nundu as it roars and puffs up its spiky mane. I smile and tell her, and we wander around the suitcase, introducing her to all the creatures. She loves niffler especially, and he seems to like her too. He even hands her a small gold coin. I've never seen niffler willing part with any of his treasure before, and judging by his stunned expression, I don't think Newt has either.

"Thank you!" She exclaims, and shows Newt and I the coin. I smile at her, and lean down to kiss the top of her head. I don't know why, but it feels right.

"You should feel very proud, niffler never shares his coins. That must mean he really likes you," I tell her, and she beams and hugs niffler tightly. Niffler looks very pleased with himself and pats her arm.

"Newt, why don't you show her Pickett." I say to him, and he snaps out of his shocked state.

"Oh! Right, right." He carefully takes Pickett out of his pocket.

"Saja, this is Pickett. He's a bowtruckle," Pickett looks up at the new human curiously, then waves. Saja smiles shyly back, and tentatively pats his head.

"He's really nice." She says. From his house niffler huffs, making Saja look at him as he tries to show off his treasures, while Pickett is looking oddly smug. Newt stares at them bewilderment, and I can't help myself; I burst out laughing at him and the whole exchange that just happened.

"Looks like the creatures have a new favorite." I tell Newt with a grin, and he nods.

"Ungrateful animals. I'm the one who raised them!" Newt says, crossing his arms indignantly. I roll my eyes and nudge him playfully with my elbow.

"Jealous?" I ask.

"No." Newt pouts.

"What lives there?" Saja asks suddenly, pointing at my pond. I glance uneasily at Newt, silently asking if I should tell the truth, but he looks back at me impassively, allowing me to decide. I bite the inside of my cheek, secretly pleased he trusts me enough to make the choice.

"I do." I say, glancing down at Saja, who seems understandably confused. I coax her over to the edge of the pond, and then I slide into the water. Within seconds my tail is back, stretched out behind me, the dark blue scales reflecting the light.

"Ooooh." Saja says, watching my tail with fascination. "Mermaid."

"Sort of." I nod, incredibly happy she didn't scream and run away.

"Can I touch?" She asks, gesturing to my scales. I nod and move my tail closer. "Does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't hurt at all." I reassure her. Newt sits down next to her as she traces the pattern of my scales.

"Are you magic?" She asks quietly, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Yes." I say. "So is Newt."

Saja looks over at him, and he nods in conformation.

"Me too." She admits, so quietly I almost don't hear her. I reach over and take her hand.

"Then you'll fit right in here. All these creatures? They're magic too." I explain, and Saja watches me with her large brown eyes.

"I can stay?" She asks. I turn to Newt, who doesn't even hesitate.

"Yes, Saja. You can stay."

Saja glances at us both, and starts to cry. Newt looks at me, at a loss for what to do, but I just pull her into my arms and hum.

"W-what's wrong?" Newt asks Saja but she's still sniffling.

"She's happy Newt, nothing is wrong." I tell him, and he calms down. He smiles sheepishly at me, and gently strokes Saja's head.

"I'm sorry, I am not good with people." He explains, and she just giggles.

"That's okay. I'm not good with people too," She says, and my heart melts a little. Newt beams at her.

"Then I suppose we can learn together." He says. Saja nods happily. I tighten my arms around her for a second, then reluctantly letting her go when I notice how dark the artificial sky in the case has become.

"It's almost nighttime." I point out, and Newt glances up in surprise.

"Oh dear. I should go make sure the village is alright, and let the other wizards know we found the…" He cuts himself off and his eyes flicker momentarily to Saja, "I'll be right back."

"Okay. Where should Saja sleep for tonight?" I ask him.

"Oh! Good point. Um. She can sleep on the cot I have in the workshop for now." Newt suggests.

"Okay." I turn to Saja. "Goodnight, darling. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

Saja shakes her head and lies down on the grass, resting her head on her folded hands.

"I'll stay here. It's comfortable." She says, and closes her eyes. I look at Newt who just shrugs.

"Alright." I say.

"Yes, well. Goodnight then girls, sleep well." Newt says. I give him a tiny smile, and Saja waves as he leaves.

The light in the case fades, and I float on my back through the water, glancing over at Saja occasionally to make sure she's still okay.

At some point Newt returns, and I watch him make his usual rounds, feeding the creatures. He wanders back over to the pond, but I don't want to talk, so I stay at the far side as he kneels to check on Saja. He lays a gentle hand on her head and strokes her hair for a few seconds. He looks like himself again, at the moment. Like the kind, gentle Newt from when I first met him, and so unlike the cold, angry Newt who had refused to look me in the eye while he told me I was a monster. Then he's standing up again, retreating back to his workshop, and I know I can't leave him alone. I can't go back to Hawaii, and I'm not sure I want to anymore.


	18. Chapter 17

**Notes: Oh my goodness guys, guess what?! This is the last chapter! There's still the epilogues of course, but this is the last chapter! We finished even sooner than expected! Thank you all for your continued encouragement and support, it means so much to us! Enjoy :)**

 **Chapter Seventeen**

Kai's POV

It's late at night, possibly even early morning, and I'm swimming fitfully around my pond, unable to drift off to sleep. Perhaps it is the excitement of the previous day, but every time I close my eyes I see Newt promising to take me to Hawaii, his eyes looking anywhere but at me. I find myself wondering if that's truly what he wants for me; then chastising myself for even caring. I _will_ remain here, even if I have to fight tooth and nail to stay. I thrash my tail restlessly, moving in small, tight circles.

At one point in this internal debate I glance habitually up at Saja, only this time she is no longer laying quietly on her side. She thrashes in her sleep, whining and throwing her arms up as if to protect herself from a blow. I swim over to where she is sleeping and pull myself out of the water. She has the same black dust from before swarming around her from before, and she's quickly being engulfed by it.

"Saja! Wake up please!" I shake her fervently, but all she does is whimper loudly.

"NEWT!" I scream for my wizard, and I hear a responding crash, followed by some muffled yelling. In a matter of seconds, Newt is out of the workshop and running towards us. He notices Saja, and his eyes widen with fear.

"What happened?" He demands.

"I don't know! I was swimming, and she started having a nightmare, and now the Obscurus is back! We need to save her Newt!" I shout, holding Saja in my arms, steadily ignoring the dust creeping around my body.

Newt nods grimly.

"I'll do my best. Wait here with her, I'll be right back." He says, and rushes to his workshop. I just stay where I am and hold Saja tighter.

"We won't let anything happen to you, I promise." I whisper to her, but she doesn't seem to hear me. Saja's eyes are still pressed closed, and the black dust swirls faster and faster with every passing second.

"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay darling, it's okay." I tell her, and start humming a lullaby, since it worked last time. I start singing softly, afraid to wake her up and worsen the problem. I gently rock her back and forth, my throat burning at the thought of losing her. Already, I am too attached.

After about ten minutes the black dust slows, now hovering in the air around us, as though frozen in time. I keep singing, wondering how long I can keep this up, when Newt finally comes jogging back to us, his arms full of various potions and magical artifacts. He sets them gently on the ground and pauses a moment to watch me sing, his face unreadable.

"I need you to keep holding Saja, don't let her go, even if she wakes up." Newt says, finally looking away from me. I stop singing, and nod. Newt nods back once, and pulls out his wand. Then he starts chanting a series of spells, and the green grass around us shrivels and dies, forming a perfect black circle around me and Saja. I take a shaky breath.

"Keep singing." Newt tells me, and goes back to chanting. I do as he says, as the dust begins to swirl faster again. What could he possibly be doing? Saja huddles closer to me in her sleep, and I stroke her head. I hope this won't hurt her. I glance over at my wizard. His eyes are strained and he's sweating from all the magic he is using up.

As he casts spells, more lines begin to trace themselves in the ground, catching fire and spreading, connecting to form geometric shapes. Suddenly Saja's eyes snap open, burning with black fire. The dust starts going crazy, whipping around us like a tornado, and Saja tries to get away from me, but I remember Newt's instructions and hold tight.

Newt's voice takes on a new tone, deeper and ancient sounding. It makes the ground rumble, and sends all the creatures running and hiding to their various habitats. Saja starts struggling harder, kicking and thrashing, but I don't let go, even though the dust is now so thick I can barely see.

I try to sing a different tune to help calm her down, and she does quiet in her efforts to get away from me. I glance over at Newt and hope that this ends soon. I don't know if any of us can handle this much more. Newt's chanting slows down. Suddenly, like an explosion, all of the dust snaps out of Saja and she slumps down into my lap. Newt says another spell and incases the dust in a bubble-like trap. He did it!

Relief floods through me, but even that is short lived. Newt then collapses, and the fiery circle around us spreads even further, burning more of the grass as it goes. In my arms Saja is unconscious and her breathing is shallow. I stand up and carry her over to Newt's prone form, setting her down gently before turning to the wild flames.

"FRANK!" I call for the Thunderbird at the top of my lungs. My heart beats painfully in my chest as I wait. "FRANK!" I yell louder. Then, thankfully, he comes swooping overhead, large wings beating powerfully. He screeches, as lighting booms overhead and rain starts coming down on us in sheets, soaking me in seconds. The fires go out quickly, leaving only singed grass behind.

"Thank you, Frank." I say to the enormous bird. Frank screeches again in reply and flies away. I slide to the ground in exhaustion, but still manage to drag myself over to Newt and Saja who are still unconscious. I sit up and pull Saja against my chest, desperate to reassure myself she's okay. And she is; her breathing has steadied out and her face seems peaceful as she sleeps.

I'm more worried about Newt, at the moment. I rest the back of my hand on his forehead, which is burning up. I can't imagine the amount of energy he must have used up to save Saja. I glance over at the bubble containing the Obscurus. The dark black cloud churns violently inside its new prison.

I tear my eyes away from it, holding on to Saja with one hand and running my fingers through Newt's tangled hair with the other. I sit on the burned grass, clinging desperately to my humans, rain pelting down mercilessly, and promising myself to never let go.

After what feels like hours the rain stops, and Newt slowly comes to. He groans and blinks his eyes open.

"Newt!" I help him to sit up.

"Did it work?" He asks, his voice scratchy. I fight back tears and tackle him in a hug. He catches me and hugs me in return.

"You saved her Newt." I say, letting the tears fall. "She's alive because of you."

Newt breathes a sigh of relief, and I can feel his shoulders relax.

"Thank Merlin." He mutters. This wizard is truly amazing. We stay like that for a while, wrapped in each other's comforting embrace.

"You destroyed the grass." I murmur into his chest. Newt laughs a bit.

"Yeah, I guess I did. Sorry about that." He says.

"It's your grass." I shrug. Newt doesn't reply to that, and I wonder if I said something wrong, but before I can ask, Saja wakes up and effectively distracts us.

"Saja!" I pull away from Newt and sweep the girl up into my arms. "You're okay, thank goodness."

She looks at us confused, and immediately notices the Obscurus. She whimpers and shrinks away from it.

"Is—is that what was in me?" She asks, terrified.

"Sadly yes, but we were able to get it safely out of you." Newt tells her, and gently pets her head. "How do you feel?"

"I hurt a little, but I feel better. I feel lighter. Not so scared of myself now." She says, and smiles at him tentatively.

"Newt? If the Obscurus was her magic, and now that it's gone… Does she no longer have magic inside her?" I ask him, and he frowns, looking thoughtful.

"I will have to run some tests later, but I am not sure how it will affect her magical levels. As far as I know, she is the first child to ever be successfully separated from an Obscurus." He explains, and Saja tenses.

"Don't worry, darling you're safe now." I promise.

"If I'm not magic, can I still stay?" She asks Newt.

"Of course, you can still stay! If you want to, that is. You can also remain at your old home if you like." He reassures. Saja shakes her head.

"I don't want to."

"Then you don't have to." He says, and Saja relaxes.

"Okay." She mumbles quietly. She closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep again

"Will she be alright?" I ask Newt.

"She should be fine. She'll be tired for a while, but I think she's out of danger." He reassures me. I look down at the girl sleeping in my lap, still all wet and shivering slightly.

"I think she's cold." I say. Newt pulls out his wand and casts a drying spell on the three of us.

"Let's bring her to the workshop, she can sleep on the bed in there." He suggests. I nod and pick up Saja, following after Newt.

I set her down on the bed and wrap multiple blankets around her to make sure she's comfortable. Newt watches me from the other side of the room.

"You love her, don't you?" He asks, suddenly. I nod silently, refusing to look over at him.

"I really do. How can someone not love her? She's amazing." I tell him.

"You are correct. I find I'm rather attached to her, myself." He says, and sighs. I finally look at him, and he smiles at me softly, though he seems very worn down.

"Newt, I think we really need to talk." I tell him, and he nods in agreement.

"Let's talk and check on the other creatures," He says. We start walking, checking on all the creatures. Pickett is a bit traumatized, and the occamies are unhappy about their unexpected bath, but everyone seems mostly alright. Newt and I keep glancing at each other as we make our rounds, though neither one of us speaks.

Finally, fed up with waiting, I grab his hand. Newt looks at me in surprise.

"I don't want to go to Hawaii." I blurt out, and cover my mouth quickly. That was not what I was planning to say. Newt raises his eyebrows, looking amused, and a bit hopeful.

"Are you sure? I thought that's what you wanted more than anything." He says.

"I did too, before we went to Egypt. Then everything happened at the warehouse, and I knew I couldn't leave until I had made things right between us. And then everything just happened with Saja, and now I know I can't leave her. Or—or you." I mumble, wringing my hands nervously. Newt steps closer to me and takes my hands, his blue eyes brightly with… something.

"I love her, and I can't imagine leaving and never seeing her again. I love Pickett too, and Niffler, and Frank even. The occamies, the graphorns, the moon calves. I love them all! I don't want to leave them. Living here has been the time of my life! I can't imagine anything in Hawaii being better than all this." I say.

"Better than all what?" Newt asks quietly, watching me intently.

"Than—than this case! Than these creatures! Than—" _Than you._

I don't say it, I can't. Not after everything that's happened. He still hates me, he must, he…

"I don't want you to go either." Newt says.

"Why?" I ask, hardly daring to breathe. Newt's eyes flicker up to mine for an instant, then back down to our clasped hands.

"Because... because I love you Kai." He whispers.

"No, you don't. You said you didn't trust me." I say, shaking my head, unable, or unwilling to believe him.

"I know. but it wasn't true. I was scared. Of your power, and of the fact that you were willing to use it to save me. I was scared Kai, and I said things I didn't mean, things that were horrible, selfish, and cruel. And I know I don't deserve you Kai, but I do love you. I do, I love you!" Newt says, his blue eyes lighter and clearer than I've ever seen them. Like the crystalline waters of Hawaii.

"I'm so afraid that this is all a trick. That maybe one day you will realize what a horrible mistake I was, and you'll fear me all over again. I can't change who I am Newt." I tell him. He sadly smiles, and puts one hand on my cheek. I resist the urge to lean in to it.

"I know you can't, and I should never have made you think that being you is wrong. I love you for who you are. I want you to stay here with me, with my creatures, and I want us to raise Saja together. You are the greatest thing to ever happen to me, and I should never have made you think otherwise." He says, voice shaking with emotion and regret. Tears stream from my eyes, making it hard to see.

"I would like to stay here with the creatures, and with Saja, and with you Newt." I say, and I truly want nothing more, nothing less, than that.

Newt beams, his old smile, the one he gave me when we first met, and he pulls me into a kiss. It's sweet and gentle, yet passionate. Everything I've come to expect from Newt. We cling to each other knowing that while we still have some issues, they will be worked out in time; because we love each other.

"I love you." I whisper.

He brings out the best, and the worst in me, but I wouldn't change it for anything, because it's Newt. My silly, aggravating, handsome, clever, stupid, loving, sweet, dorky, clumsy, caring wizard.


	19. Epilogue

**Notes: IT IS DONE! Thank you all for staying with us through this, even when we didn't update for weeks at a time. Writing this was quite the adventure, but we are very relieved to be finished. We also have a few new ideas that we are working on, so keep an eye out! These are the epilogues, they follow the basic plot of what happened in the fantastic beasts movie, but with a few key changes ;) Enjoy!**

 **Epilogues**

Kai POV

3 Months Later

It's been three months since Newt and I found Saja, and I can hardly believe everything that's happened. Newt and I have spent many nights together, talking and learning about each other. I love Newt so much, and Saja. She called me Mama the other day for the first time, and I didn't let her go for the rest of the day.

Newt and I have been trying to learn Sudanese, while also teaching Saja English so that the three of us can communicate without a translator spell. Mama and papa were two of the first words she learned, so she started using them to refer to me and Newt. Although, Newt pouted most of the day because Saja called me Mama before she called him Papa.

Saja gets along wonderfully with the creatures so far, which is good because we have to feed all of them while Newt is outside the case. We're travelling to New York City and then to Arizona to bring Frank home, even though we'll all be sad to see him go. Newt has to be outside the case to put us on a boat, so we've seen very little of him the past few days.

"Mama!" Saja calls, and comes running over to me as I'm trying to get the erumpent to eat. (Newt says she's a picky eater, I think she just refuses to eat in order to spite me.)

"Mama look!" Saja says again, and holds up Niffler for me to see, beaming with pride. I turn to look, and the poor creature has a makeshift crown woven from leaves and twigs sitting on his head.

"Lovely. Did Pickett help you make that?" I ask her, grinning with amusement.

"Yes." She tells me, cuddling Niffler to her chest. Pickett is sitting on her shoulder, looking decidedly smug.

"Hmm. Be nice to Niffler, okay?" I warn, knowing how unpleasant he can be when he's unhappy. Saja nods seriously.

"I will, Mama." She promises.

"Did you feed the occamies?" I ask.

"Yes." Saja says. Then I notice something shifting across her shoulders, and one of the occamies pokes its head out from underneath her hair. The creature's dark purple scales blend easily into Saja's black hair, but now that I notice it I can see it's draped around her neck like a scarf.

"How many creatures are you carrying?" I laugh. Saja just grins at me and runs off. She and Newt are so much alike it surprised me sometimes. I walk over to Frank, and gently stroke his head, waiting for Newt to return.

A Siren, a Wizard, and a Baker, Oh My !

Where on earth is he? He should have come back down by now, and I am very worried because several of the creatures have gone missing. I walk over to the ladder, and just as I am about to climb up, the top opens and Newt descends.

"Where have you been? Saja and I were getting worried." I say, as he pulls me into a hug.

"Sorry love, but some of the creatures got free and I've been chasing them down," He says, looking a little annoyed.

I am about to reply, when a loud crash comes from behind us. I whirl around and there, sitting at the end of the ladder, is a man I have never seen before. I turn to Newt with a raised brow, and he grins sheepishly.

"Ah yes, Kai this is Jacob. He is a muggle that took my case by mistake and let out some of the creatures. Jacob, this is my love, Kaimana, and our daughter Saja is somewhere around here." He tells the ma- Jacob.

"Oh, well. Hello ma'am. It's nice to meet you." Jacob says. The poor man looks a bit lost, but he still addresses me politely.

"Hello Jacob, it's nice to meet you as well." I reply with a smile.

"Mama! Papa!" Saja comes barreling into the room, followed closely by her favorite moon calf that she recently named Sunshine. "Look I trained him to follow me!" She announces proudly, tossing a few floating food pellets behind her and watching Sunshine snatch them up. Then Saja notices Jacob and immediately hides behind Newt, holding tightly to his blue coat.

"That's excellent dear, maybe we can teach him to sit next. Jacob, this is Saja, our daughter. Saja, this is Jacob. He's my friend!" Newt explains to her with a wide grin. Saja peers around Newt and offers Jacob a small wave.

"Hello Saja." Jacob says, looking more confused by the second.

"Newt darling? Have you explained about all your creatures and magic to him? He looks very upset." I say, knowing Newt has a tendency to forget that not everyone knows what he knows.

"No ma'am he did not. He just walked right into his case of his and motioned for me to follow." Jacob tells me, and Newt shrugs.

"In my defense, I really missed you two and wanted to get back. Also, I thought he would be more likely to believe me if I just showed him," Newt tells me, patting Saja's head. I sigh and lean over to kiss his cheek.

"You are forgiven but next time, please explain properly." I say pointedly, and rub my legs, which are starting to itch like they always do when I've been out of the water too long.

"Momma are you gonna go back in the pond?" Saja asks me, immediately picking up on my discomfort.

"Yes sweetie, would you like to swim with me?" I ask her, since I know how much she loves swimming. She nods excitedly and takes off towards the pond. We all exchange an amused grin, although Jacob continues to look confused.

"I'm a siren," I explain to him. Jacob's eyes widen with shock.

"Really!? Can I—Could I see?" He asks tentatively. I smile, and nod.

I lead them over to the pond where Saja is already swimming. I dive in after her, my shimmering blue tail appearing as I do. Jacob lets out an astonished gasp.

"Mr. Scamander, you got yourself an amazing family." He says a little awestruck, and Newt grins with pride.

"Yes, I really do."

Newt Has Too Many Friends

"Kai! Saja! Come here! I have some people I want you to meet!" Newt calls excitedly, his voice echoing throughout the case.

I sigh and look up from the book I'm reading. It's been a very stressful week, what with the creatures escaping, meeting the muggle, Jacob, and having Newt outside all the time, undoubtedly getting into trouble without me there to stop him. Not that I could, but at least I could help get him back out of trouble. Really, all the excitement and stress has taken a toll on the creatures, Saja, and myself. The last thing we need is more people.

I set aside my book and pull myself out of the pond. Hopefully these new people will be as kind and polite as Jacob, but I've learned not to expect much from humans. I wander in the direction I heard Newt calling, hoping Saja heard him as well.

When I find him, he's talking sternly to Pickett, no doubt trying to convince him to return to his home tree again. Jacob is back as well, returning our lost demiguise Dougal to his nest. And standing off to the side are two more humans, witches, I believe.

One of them, a tall woman with curly blonde hair turns to look at me as I approach, offering me a kind smile that reminds me a bit of Nicola. I immediately want to like her. Beside her however, is a dark haired woman with a much more closed off expression that I can't quite read.

Newt notices me and gives me a bright smile.

"Kai! Meet the Goldstein sisters! This is Queenie," He says, indicating the blonde witch, "And this is Tina!" He gestures to the other woman. "Queenie, Tina, this is Kai!"

"Hello." I say, nodding politely to them.

"Oh! Hello, Kai! It's lovely to meet you." The blonde woman—Queenie, steps forward to shake my hand.

"And you as well." I reply.

"Yes, hello Kai." Tina says, looking me up and down with what seems to be disapproval. "Who are you exactly? To Newt, I mean." She asks.

"Well, I don't know what you'd call it exactly, but I help him take care of the creatures, we're raising a child together, and we're in a romantic relationship." I say, enjoying the way her eyes widen in surprise.

"A child?" Tina says, frowning.

At that moment, Newt walks over with Saja and Jacob, still grinning happily.

"Hey guys, this is Saja, my daughter!" He announces, and Saja waves at the Goldstein sisters shyly. Tina's frown deepens, and her eyes take on a hard glare.

"How is she your child? She doesn't even look like either of you?" She says, curling her lip in disbelief.

"Tina! How can you say that!?" Queenie gasps. Saja's smile fades, and she leans closer to Newt. I step closer to my family and growl a little. Newt looks upset, unsure of how to proceed.

"How dare you! How dare you come into our home and insult us! Saja may not be ours by blood, but that doesn't make her any less than our daughter! You want to know what I think? I think you thought that Newt would come in and change your life, and then you would wind up together, living happily ever after." I spit, pulling Saja into a tight hug.

Queenie furrows her brow, staring at her sister in disapproval.

"Tina—" She starts to speak, but Tina shoot her a dark glare.

"Stay out of my head." Tina hisses, before turning back to Newt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, I was just surprised is all. I apologize." She says, stiffly.

Newt nods in acceptance, though he still seems troubled by Tina's reaction. I, on the other hand, am more than a little troubled, and not nearly as forgiving as Newt. I want her out of the case, and away from my family.

Jacob, sensing the awkward tension, tries to change the subject.

"So, uh. Shouldn't we be planning a way to stop that obscurial-thingy from destroying the city?" He suggests.

"What?!" I whirl around to look at him, fear suddenly pulsing through my veins like ice water. He jumps a little, startled at the force of my reaction.

"Newt? What does he mean? Is there another one here?" I fire off frantic questions, while Saja whimpers. Newt shushes her, and tries calming us both down.

"Yes, I am afraid that there is another one on the loose, and it has killed someone already." He tells me gravely.

"Newt, we have to help save the child." I say, and I hear a snort from behind me. I whip around to glare at Tina. She glares right back.

"What does a siren know about an Obscurus, let alone how to handle one?" She scoffs. I am so close to kicking her out of this case. Or maybe singing to her.

"I have travelled with Newt for many months. We encountered one not long ago." I snap at her, gripping Saja's shoulder protectively. "I know quite a bit about them from first hand experience, not to mention sirens are powerful, dangerous, magical creatures in their own right. I am quite adept at handling dark creatures. And any other threats." I say, baring my teeth at the witch. Tina narrows her eyes, but doesn't argue. I count it as a win.

"Where is the Obscurus now?" I ask Newt, who shrugs helplessly.

"I don't know, but we do need to find it soon. It's more powerful than even Sa—than even the one we found before." I look at him and the others.

"We need to help this child. Now." I insist. Newt nods grimly. We did this once already, I'm confident we can do it again.

The Struggling Child

After hours of trying to find the Obscurus, Newt discovered that it was a young teen named Credence. He is the oldest Obscurus that we have ever heard of, and because of it, he is even more vulnerable.

Newt decided that for Saja's safety and mine, we were to stay within the case as he and the others took off after the boy. It's not a decision I'm happy with.

I look over at Saja, sleeping peacefully in the grass beside my pond, and then I walk over to the Thunderbird.

"Frank, I need you to take care of Saja. Can you do that for me?" I ask him, stroking his head.

He chirps and goes over my slumbering child, curling a wing over her protectively. I smile softly at him, and nod my thanks. I know Newt wanted me to stay, but I can't stand on the sidelines while that child is in danger.

I exit the case, and find myself in some kind of… underground station? I believe it's what Newt once told me it was called. He must have hidden the case to keep it safe. I immediately notice the air is filled with black sand, the same dust that had surrounded Saja. It must be the Obscurus boy. I cautiously make my way over to where the boy is hunched over, shivering.

"Credence?" I call out softly. His head snaps up and he whirls around to stare at me.

"Go away!" He shrieks at me, but I don't back away. Instead, I kneel down slowly so I don't seem quite so threatening.

"I am not here to hurt you, and I am not a wizard. I am a magical creature." I tell him, and he stares at me in confusion.

"What are you then?" He asks.

"I am a siren," I say smiling slightly. I start singing a song I made up for Saja, and the boy slowly starts to calm down. I inch closer to him as I sing, approaching him as Newt would a hurt creature.

"Can you help me? I don't know what I am." He say, and trembles a little.

I move forward and wrap an arm around his shoulders when he breaks down crying. I pull him closer, rocking the two of us back and forth as I explain to him what an Obscurus is, and how Newt and I have saved one.

"Y-you adopted her? Even though she hurt all those people?" He asks me once I finish speaking.

"Of course, we did. She was just a scared little girl who couldn't control her magic. In fact, if you wanted you could stay with us too. I'm sure Newt wouldn't mind." I tell him, and he looks like he wants to be hopeful.

"You want me to stay with you? Even though I'm a monster?" He says, his voice leaden with suspicion and distrust.

"You are not a monster Credence! You are a boy that was forced to hide away a part of him. Your adoptive mother should have trained you, not hurt you." I tell him, and he breaks down again. I sigh and rub his back.

The black sand eventually dissipates back into him, and Newt comes running over, but I motion for him to stay back. He does, kneeling down slowly so as not to startle Credence.

"If you come with us, we can keep you safe. We can teach you to control your powers. And I'm sure Saja would love to meet you." I suggest. Credence hunches his shoulders, curling in tightly on himself.

"I—I don't know." He says.

"Please? You won't have to stay with us if you don't want to." I promise. He stares at me for several seconds, before nodding reluctantly. I try not to look too relieved. "Okay. Come on then, we'll take you to our home. You'll be safe there."

"Modesty." Credence says, sitting up suddenly.

"I'm sorry?" I ask.

"My sister. Modesty. She's alone. I have to find her." He says, stray black dust spinning through the air as he gets more upset.

"Okay, okay, we'll find her. We'll find her Credence." I assure him. I glance over at Newt who nods back, understanding without words.

"I'll be back soon." Newt says, apparating with a whirl of his blue coat. We're going to need a bigger suitcase, I think.

Visitors, Again

"Check."

I glare down at the chessboard.

"How?! How are you doing that!" I demand, looking up at Modesty. She's been getting ridiculously good at this game, though I still manage to beat her on occasion. Today however, I am failing miserably.

Modesty shrugs and I sigh. There's no way I can win now.

"Kai!" Newt calls suddenly. I sit up so quickly I almost topple the chessboard.

"What time is it?!" I ask, glancing up at the artificial sky to see the sun is almost setting. "Oh dear. Be right there, Newt!" I call back to him. I completely forgot that Jacob and Queenie were coming over to meet the kids and have dinner.

"Modesty, get your brother and Saja please." I say.

She nods and takes off to find her siblings. Since Saja, Credence, and Modesty moved in we had to expand the case some, sectioning off rooms for the kids to sleep in. Saja loves to wander around the case looking after the animals, and Modesty likes following me or Newt around, but Credence keeps to his room a lot. Newt says that he needs time, that he'll come around, but I still worry about him. I want to be able to help him, I just don't know what to do.

The kids come out of their rooms, and I give them all reassuring smiles.

"Alright, if any of you don't feel comfortable with Newt's friends, let me know and we can go somewhere else okay?" I tell them. Credence and Modesty nod.

"Okay. I will tell you, but I want to try to meet them," Credence says, and I beam at him.

Newt walks over with Jacob and Queenie in tow.

"Hello!" Jacob says, smiling at the girls and handing them cookies from his bakery, which they accept happily. He walks over to Credence and gives him cookies that Newt might have mentioned were Credence's favorite. Credence accepts them shyly, mumbling a thank you.

"So, I heard you might want to learn how to cook." Jacob says, and Credence freezes up.

"Y-yes I do," Credence says.

I fight back a grin. Cooking is one of the few things Credence has shown an interest in since apparently, he used to cook for the other Second Salem kids. Unfortunately, neither I, nor Newt can cook very well.

"Well that's perfect, because Queenie and I are both cooks! Well, Queenie's a better cook than me, I do most of the baking." Jacob explains, and Queenie nods enthusiastically.

"What's your favorite dish, sweetie?" She asks with a warm smile.

"Chicken Alfredo," Credence says, and I frown in confusion. I have never heard of that dish.

"Mmm I haven't had that in a long time," Queenie muses. Jacob beams at him.

"Let's start making it!" He suggests happily. Credence nods a little and looks over at me.

"It sounds like fun. You can use the new kitchen." I tell him, and he smiles at me. My breath catches, and I try not to tear up. I have never seen him this happy.

"Well come on then! Let's get cooking!" Queenie says, flipping her hair and heading to the kitchen. The kids and Jacob follow after her.

"You know," I say, turning to look at Newt, "Jacob can't come over if he's going to give them sweets all the time."

"Aww, you don't mean that." Newt says, linking my arm with his and leading me to the kitchen. I sigh, and glare playfully at him.

"He didn't even bring me some," I say, pouting. Newt just laughs. The two of us stand by to watch as Jacob and Queenie explain what to do. Credence works diligently on the food, smiling softly the whole time.

"Momma it smells good!" Saja says, and Modesty agrees. I nod and notice Credence blushing slightly.

"Credence is awesome." Modesty says, looking up at her brother.

"He is, isn't he? It smells fantastic Cre." Newt says.

"Thank you." Credence mumbles. I look over Newt's shoulder into the pan. It does smell good, though I still have no idea what it is.

"It looks yummy." I offer, resting my hand on Credence's arm. "Good job."

He ducks his head in embarrassment, but I still catch the hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. A warm feeling of contentment spreads through my chest as I reach down to pick Saja up so she can see the food too. Modesty grabs on to Newt's hand and starts telling him about the chess game we were playing earlier, giving him a blow by blow of how she was beating me. Jacob attempts to explain to Credence how to tell when the chicken is done, while Queenie listens with a mixture of fondness and exasperation.

I don't know how I got this lucky. How I went from living in a tank for thirty years all alone, to living in a suitcase full of magical creatures with the love of my life and my three adopted kids.

Saja tugs on my hair and points to the floor where Niffler is trying to swipe at the sparkly gems on Queenie's shoes.

"Niffler…" I say warningly. The creature glances up at me, blinking his wide, innocent eyes. Then he steals the entire shoe, to Queenie's surprise, and starts running. And the chase is on, once again.

One Year Later

"Saja! Did you put on your dress yet!" I demand, marching over to the kid's rooms.

"Yes, Mama!" She says, opening her door.

"You are not wearing all that." I say flatly. Saja pouts and readjusts the heavy silver jewelry around her neck. "Where did you get those?" I ask.

"Nowhere." She tells me, and I see a flash of Niffler's nose hiding under her hair.

"Mama!" Modesty cries out suddenly and comes running over with Spike, her Nundu, in tow.

For some reason he's really taken a liking to her, which is both amusing, and terrifying. He hasn't tried to hurt her though, and he even comforts her when she occasionally freaks out and does accidental magic. He's always the first to calm her down if Newt or I can't.

Newt was very excited when Modesty did magic the first time, because he said once she hits eleven she will be off to Hogwarts, and I told him that there is no way any of my children are ever leaving me. He just laughed, but I was entirely serious. None of my babies are leaving me for some dangerous wizard school.

"What's wrong, darling?" I ask, turning to look at Modesty. She actually got dressed when I told her to, unlike Saja and Credence, but the front of her nice white dress is now covered in mud. "What did you do?!"

"I was playing with Spike, but I fell and—I'm sorry." She hangs her head and blinks away tears.

"Hey, hey! Don't cry! It's not a big deal, love. Papa will cast a cleaning spell when he gets back, it will be fine." I reassure her, kneeling down and pulling her into a hug. Spike steps forward to rest his head on Modesty's shoulder and starts purring so loudly it vibrates the ground.

"Mody, don't cry." Saja says, coming over to sit down beside us. "Do you want a necklace?" She asks, holding out a thick gold necklace with a ruby pendant. Modesty giggles and shakes her head. I let out a breath of relief. Everyone's tensions have been high today.

I let go of Modesty and stand up to go find Credence. I find him in his room, sitting on his bed petting Dougal, the demiguise. Those two really hit off as well, and I rarely find them apart nowadays. Usually they're off playing together, or eating the snacks that Jacob sends us.

"Credence? Sweetie, are you all ready to go?" I ask him.

"Yes, I'm just waiting for Dad to get back so he can help me with my bowtie," Credence says, and I nod. Honestly, Newt was the one most excited to be Jacob's best man at his wedding, but he's the one who's going to make us late.

It's then that Newt comes stumbling over to the kid's rooms, lugging armfuls of bags.

"I got everything!" He announces, and I sigh.

"Newt, you're going to make us late," I scold him and he smiles sheepishly.

"I know love, but I had to make sure we got everything set for the wedding!." He tells us, and Credence takes the bags from him.

"Dad can you help me with my tie? And Modesty needs a cleaning spell. She got her dress all dirty." Credence says. Newt nods and waves his wand, doing up Credence's bowtie. I call the girls in, and they come running. Newt cleans Modesty's dress, and hugs them all.

"Alright, everyone all set? Saja, I told you to take off the jewelry! And leave Niffler in the case, he'll just make a mess." I order. Saja pouts, but does as she's told.

"We should leave now, Jacob said the wedding will start in half an hour." I tell them all. We check over the creatures one more time, and head up the ladder into the guest room of Queenie and Jacob's house where we were allowed to stay for the wedding.

We go out to the backyard where everyone is rushing around making final preparations for the ceremony. It's a beautiful day, surprisingly warm for England in the fall, with clear blue skies above. It's a perfect day for a wedding.

The kids immediately take off, no doubt to cause trouble where ever they can. I swear, they're as bad as Newt.

"Newt, go find Jacob and help him finish getting ready. I'll go find Queenie." I say. Newt nods and goes to find his friend.

I go back inside to where Queenie is, and I find her in her room finishing up her hair. Her sister couldn't come for some reason or another (I think it's because she didn't want to see Newt), so Queenie asked me to be her brides maid.

"You look amazing," I tell her, and she beams at me.

"Thank you! I am so happy. Jacob is the perfect man for me." She says, and I truly believe it.

"Are you ready?" I ask. Queenie takes a deep breath and nods.

"I'm ready."

The wedding music begins, and we all get into place. Saja and Modesty are the flower girls, and Credence is the ring barrier. He was really happy when Jacob asked him.

The children walk forward, and then it's time for me and Newt. We link arms and walk down the aisle together, and for a split second it feels like it's our wedding.

I stamp down that thought as soon as it appears. Today is Jacob and Queenie's day, and I am happy for them. Newt and I make it to the end of the aisle and he squeezes my hand once before letting go and stepping to the side.

The music swells and Queenie steps into view, her glittering white dress flowing around her. Jacob practically glows with happiness and love as he watches his future wife walk towards him.

The ceremony is sweet, and fairly quick. After Queenie and Jacob share their kiss we all cheer for them, hanging around and catting for a bit before heading back to the case. Saja and Modesty quickly tire, and Credence is extremely uncomfortable with all the attention from the weddings guests. We say our goodbyes and congratulate the happy couple, but the two of them are so lost in each other that they barely register us. The reception will be tomorrow afternoon, so we'll have plenty of time to talk with them then.

After the ceremony, Newt starts acting funny. He seems jumpy and nervous, and I don't know why. He's acting like he usually does before he goes searching for a new creature.

The kids all go to their rooms to change into their usual clothes, and I take the opportunity to question him.

"Newt is something wrong?" I ask, and he jumps.

"No! I just seem to have misplaced something." He says, frantically searching his pockets.

"What did you lose?" I ask, starting to get very concerned now.

"It—it was just here!" He insists, pulling out vials and various papers from his coat. Suddenly, Pickett pops out of Newt's sleeve, squeaking loudly.

"What?" He asks, and Pickett holds out a small, shiny object. Newt immediately relaxes and smiles at the creature. "Thanks, buddy."

"Newt, what's going on?" I ask, slightly annoyed at this point. Newt looks up and meets my eyes with startling severity.

"Kaimana. Love of my life. Mother of my adopted children. Caregiver of my creatures. My best friend." He says, kneeling down and holding up the small object which I know realize is a silver ring. "Will you do me the honor of marrying this crazy magizoologist, who's madly in love with you?"

I gasp and can feel the tears prickling my eyes as I tackle him into a hug.

"Yes. Of course, I will marry you, you ridiculous wizard."

 **THE END**


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